WALES

Business Advisory Group

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date her Business Advisory Group last met; and who attended the meeting.

Cheryl Gillan: The Business Advisory Group meets on a quarterly basis. The last meeting was on 24 October 2011. The attendees of the meeting were:
	Uday Chaturvedi, TATA Steel
	Paul Gorin, Smart Solutions
	Rob Lewis, PricewaterhouseCoopers
	Colin OrrBurns, Dragon LNG
	David Rosser, CBI
	Graham Hillier, Toyota
	Professor George Boyne, Cardiff University
	Nick Main, GE Healthcare
	David Williams, Chairman of Llandudno Hospitality Association
	Steve Thomas, Airbus
	Professor Stuart Cole, University of Glamorgan

Departmental Travel Costs

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times (a) she, (b) Ministers and (c) officials in her Department have travelled first class on trains since May 2010.

David Jones: On taking office, the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan), confirmed that there would no longer be any first class travel paid for by the Wales Office. All tickets bought from May 2010 onwards for myself, the Secretary of State and officials have been for standard rail travel, which has resulted in a saving of £86,824 when compared to the previous year.
	The Secretary of State and three officials did travel first class—at no cost to the Wales Office—as guests of First Great Western when they attempted to set a new record for the fastest journey between Cardiff and London, and on six occasions the Secretary of State and two officials have been upgraded, again at no cost to the Wales Office for operational reasons.

Official Visits

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many times she has visited (a) Cardiff, (b) Swansea and (c) Wrexham since May 2010.

David Jones: Ministers from the Wales Office have visited Cardiff 86 times, Swansea four times and Wrexham 10 times.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

David Jones: This information is not available in the form requested.
	From the start of the 2010-12 session to 30 November 2011, the Wales Office answered 433 (90%) of ordinary written parliamentary questions on time.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Official Hospitality

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average cost per night has been of hotel rooms booked by her Department for official business since May 2010.

David Jones: The average cost per night for hotel rooms booked by the Wales Office since May 2010 is £98. The Wales Office is based in London and Cardiff and staff need to travel between the offices regularly in the course of their duties.

Official Hospitality

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department has spent on hotel bills since May 2010.

David Jones: The Wales Office has spent £40,861 on hotel bills since May 2010, a saving of over £18,000 on the previous 18-month period. The Wales Office is based in London and Cardiff and staff need to travel between the offices regularly in the course of their duties.
	Hotel bookings are made through a central contract procured by the Ministry of Justice, and this ensures that all accommodation booked is within the limits set by the Department.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Assisted Areas

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the possible withdrawal of automatic assisted area status from Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I have engaged in correspondence with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on this matter. The possible removal of automatic assisted area status from Northern Ireland was one of the options considered in the Government's consultation on changes to the Industrial Development Act 1982 which closed on 2 November. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is on target to publish the Government's response within three months of the close of the consultation.

Ballymurphy: Deaths

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of progress on the investigation into the deaths which occurred in the Ballymurphy area of Belfast in 1971.

Owen Paterson: I understand that the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) is currently investigating the deaths which occurred in Ballymurphy in 1971. In addition, the Attorney General for Northern Ireland recently confirmed that inquests into the deaths would be reopened. The timings and progress of these investigations and inquests are a matter for the HET and the Coroner's Service for Northern Ireland respectively.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office, as a small Government Department, has limited catering facilities. At present, there are no plans to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards in either the Department or the public bodies for which I am responsible.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Owen Paterson: The Northern Ireland Office, as a small Government Department, has limited requirements for food and catering services. At present, there are no plans for the country of origin of foods to be labelled on menus and display boards in either the Department or the public bodies for which I am responsible.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Owen Paterson: This information is not available in the form requested.
	From the start of the 2010-12 Session to 30 November 2011, the Northern Ireland Office answered 323 (86%) of ordinary written parliamentary questions on time.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Rescue Services

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the implications for Northern Ireland of the planned changes to the search and rescue helicopter service.

Owen Paterson: I refer the hon. Lady to the written ministerial statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), on 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 52WS. The new arrangements will see an end of military involvement in a dedicated helicopter search and rescue service with search and rescue operations being provided by contracted civilian crews. The winning bidder will be expected to operate from 10 locations around the UK, and provide at least the same level of service as at present.
	Under the new arrangements, Northern Ireland will be covered by helicopters based on the UK mainland and Scottish Islands, as at present. Incidents will continue to be responded to within the agreed national response requirements.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: EU Law

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 638W, on animal experiments: EU law, which groups will be asked for input at appropriate points on the draft legislation to transpose EU Directive 2010/63/EU.

Lynne Featherstone: We will seek input as necessary from the bioscience sector, animal welfare and protection groups, funding bodies, training accreditors and licensees and practitioners under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
	Regular contact has been maintained with all of these groups during the process of negotiating and subsequently transposing European Directive 2010/63/EU.

Animal Experiments: EU Law

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, column 638W, on animal experiments: EU Law, when draft legislation to transpose EU Directive 2010/63/EU will be available for consultation.

Lynne Featherstone: Work on the preparation of draft legislation to transpose European Directive 2010/63/EU has begun. We will seek input from individuals and groups with an interest at appropriate points in the detailed drafting process.
	I am not yet in a position to say when the final draft legislation will be published.

Asylum

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many of the asylum legacy cases resolved since May 2010 an individual was (a) granted asylum and (b) deported.

Damian Green: In answering this question, I have taken deportation to mean removal. Since May 2010, it is not a national statistic, and as such, it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change, 280 individuals have been granted asylum and 400 have been removed.
	Source:
	Local management information provided by UKBA, North West Region Planning and MI team.

Asylum

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum legacy cases are outstanding; and how many such cases have been concluded in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency committed to review all older unresolved cases by summer 2011; this was achieved by March 2011. A total of 500,500 cases were reviewed as part of the programme.
	As Jonathan Sedgwick, then acting chief executive of the UK Border Agency reported to the Home Affairs Committee on 12 September, 479,000 of the 500,500 cases in the legacy programme have been fully concluded.
	During the period 1 December 2010 to 12 September 2011, 41,950 cases reached conclusion, 15,499 asylum legacy cases remain outstanding.
	Source: Local Management information provided by UKBA, North West Region Planning and Ml team. It is not a national statistic. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Bramshill Police College

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2011, Official Report, column 795W, on Bramshill police college, when she expects the review of the Bramshill estate commissioned from the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to report; and what consultation (a) she and (b) the NPIA will undertake with police (i) forces and (ii) authorities on the future of the estate.

Nick Herbert: The review of the Bramshill estate is due to report to the NPIA in spring 2012. It will be considered by the NPIA Board which includes representatives of the Home Office, police authorities and chief police officers. The review involves consultation with all police forces and authorities and, specifically, with the local chief constables and police authority chief executives in Thames Valley, Surrey and Hampshire.

Civil Disorder

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department has issued to police authorities on the Riot (Damages) Act 1886; and what (a) meetings have been held and (b) other communication undertaken between officials of her Department and police authorities concerning that Act since August 2011.

Nick Herbert: Since August 2011, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has written to all Chairs of Police Authorities with guidance on the Home Office's response to the riots, setting out amendments to the regulations under the Riot (Damages) Act 1886 and details of the Home Office bureau which was set up to receive and assess claims from those with no insurance. I have also held meetings with the Chairs of affected police authorities, representatives of the Association of Police Authorities (APA) and of the insurance industry, while Home Office officials have kept in regular contact with affected police authorities through the APA.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether food and catering services in (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Damian Green: The Home Office and public bodies for which it is responsible do not directly contract for food supplies but procure catering services through wider facilities management or operating service contracts. At our headquarters building, allergen and healthy choice labelling has been implemented and there are plans to increase this to include calorific values. We are also working with our contracted suppliers who deliver catering services to the UKBA, National Policing Improvement Agency and Identity and Passport Service estate to encourage them to introduce similar labelling arrangements as part of their plans for 2012.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the food and catering services in (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Damian Green: The Home Office and public bodies for which it is responsible do not directly contract for food supplies but procure catering services through wider facilities management or operating service contracts. Country of food origin information is not routinely made available to customers but in some staff restaurants it does appear on published menus on occasions or is available on request.

Departmental Manpower

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many posts have been lost in the UK Border Agency in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The number of full-time equivalent posts reduced in the UK Border Agency in the last 12 months for which figures are available (2010-11), is -1,900 as it appears in rounded form in our annual report, which can be found here:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/annual-reports-accounts
	This is an actual reduction in full-time equivalent staff from 24,467 (31 March 2010) to 22,580 (31 March 2011) a reduction of -1,887.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: The Department does not hold information on how much was spent in each location. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Department has in place a Commercial Policies and Procedures manual that is applicable to the Home Office and its Agencies. The manual includes guidance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in line with Government procurement policy.
	In support, the Department's Service Terms and Conditions reflect CSR requirements and these are kept under review. The Home Office also invites its top suppliers to complete an accredited self-assessment tool on their CSR practices which is used to monitor compliance with our policies. The tool enables collaborative working with suppliers to drive out improved performance in the CSR arena.

Departmental Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) are operationally independent of the Home Office and have responsibility to own and actively manage their own risks. The Executive NDPBs which the Home Office is responsible for own and maintain a variety of registers that cover risks at a strategic and directorate level as well as registers for programmes and projects as required.

Deportation: Appeals

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals convicted in UK courts have contested deportation orders in each of the last five years; and how many such appeals have been successful and the appellant allowed to remain in the UK.

Damian Green: Figures for the last five years are not available. However, between 2008 and the end of September 2011, 5,657 appeals have been lodged by foreign national offenders contesting deportation orders. Of those, 1,333 appeals were successful. A breakdown is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  2008 2009 2010 2011 Total 
			 Appeals lodged 1,798 1,349 1,486 1,024 5,657 
			 Appeals allowed 342 346 473 172 1,333

Drug Seizures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much heroin and cocaine was seized by UK Border Agency staff in the airports included in her summer 2011 pilot on immigration entry during the period of the pilot; and how much was seized in the corresponding period of 2010.

Damian Green: The latest drug-seizure statistics that have been produced in accordance with the Home Office's Statement of Compliance are contained within the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, ‘Seizures of drugs in England and Wales, 2010/11’ (accessed via the following link), published on 10 November 2011. These contain information for the full-year and are not broken down into individual months. The annual seizures for 2010-11 amounted to 420 kg of heroin, 1,519 kg of cocaine and 14 kg of crack-cocaine.
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/police-research/hosb1711/hosb1711?view=Binary

Firearms

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) any other external organisation on a review of her Department’s definition of a gun crime; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not received representations from the Metropolitan police or any other external organisation on the Department’s definition of gun crime.

Firearms

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to update the guidance to police on the definition of a gun crime; and whether she has asked her Department to investigate the case for doing so.

Nick Herbert: There are no plans to revise or update the guidance to police on the definition of gun crime.

Firearms

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has met ministerial colleagues to discuss the case for updating the definition of gun crime to include acts of criminal damage including firearms.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has not met ministerial colleagues to discuss the case for updating the definition of gun crime.

Firearms: Licensing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many section five firearms licences are held by UK citizens.

Nick Herbert: Information on nationality is not collected as part of the process of applying for a section five firearms licence.

Illegal Immigrants

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to improve her Department's capacity to identify illegal immigrants and return them to their country of origin.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 206W.

Immigrants: Detainees

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the detention data tables Immigration Statistics April-June 2011 table dt.07.q, what the total length of stay in the UK has been of each of the 74 persons who have been detained for more than 24 months.

Damian Green: The following table sets out the total length of stay in the UK of the 74 individuals detained for more than 24 months referred to in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2011.
	
		
			 Length of time (in years) in the UK based on first application raised Number of individuals 
			 3 7 
			 4 7 
			 5 13 
			 6 5 
			 7 6 
			 8 10 
			 9 7 
			 10 4 
			 11 5 
			 12 3 
			 13 1 
			 14 1 
			 15 1 
			 17 2 
			 18 1 
			 20 1 
		
	
	The following table sets out the reasons why the 74 individuals detained for more than 24 months referred to in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2011, had not been removed from the UK. As the table shows, five of the individuals have now been removed from the UK. This information is taken from Internal Management Information and is subject to change.
	
		
			 Barriers to removal Number of individuals 
			 Travel Document 39 
			 Appeals 6 
			 Children issues 1 
			 Country Situation 1 
			 Nationality not confirmed 1 
			 Judicial Review 15 
			 Awaiting Removal: Multiple Barriers 4 
			 Rule 39* 2 
			 Removed 5 
		
	
	Of the 74 individuals detained for more than 24 months referred to in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2011, 53 lodged an appeal against their deportation. In addition to this:
	29 individuals submitted a Judicial Review (JR) against unlawful detention.
	five submitted a JR on HR grounds.
	five submitted a JR against unlawful detention and on HR grounds.
	To determine in which court those of the 74 individuals detained for more than 24 months referred to in the Immigration Statistics April to June 2011, have lodged an appeal against detention or removal would require the examination of individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Immigration

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether a report on the pilot scheme for border controls was sent to a Minister in her Department;
	(2)  how the pilot scheme for border controls in July 2011 was monitored; and to whom data obtained during the monitoring were sent.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence provided by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 8 November.

Immigration

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she has held discussions with the Children's Commissioner for Scotland on the border access checks pilots in summer 2011; and whether those communications were (a) written and (b) oral.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers held no discussions with the Children's Commissioner for Scotland on the level two risk-based border checks and pilot.

Immigration

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the UK Border Agency has made in clearing the backlog of historic immigration cases over five years old.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency committed to review all older unresolved cases by summer 2011, this was achieved by March 2011. A total of 500,500 cases were reviewed as part of the programme.
	As Jonathan Sedgwick, then acting chief executive of the UK Border Agency, reported to the Home Affairs Committee on 12 September, 479,000 of the 500,500 cases in the legacy programme have been fully concluded. The remaining cases are being actively managed to conclusion, this will involve removing barriers such as impending prosecutions or obtaining travel documents to facilitate removal.

Immigration Controls

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people placed on a watchlist (a) entered and (b) were prevented from entering the UK between July and November 2011.

Damian Green: We do not disclose either the specific data held on the watchlist, the source of the data, or how they are used, as to do so would not be in the interests of border and national security.

Immigration Controls

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions level 2 border checks were used in the port of Hull between July and November 2011.

Damian Green: Risk-based checks under the level 2 pilot were not used in the port of Hull.

Immigration Controls

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish all correspondence between her Department and (a) airport operators and (b) airline companies concerning border checks in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), has ordered an investigation into the relaxation of border controls. It would be inappropriate to release this information at this stage.

Immigration Controls

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings she has had with Government agencies on the relaxation of border controls in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: We are conducting an investigation into all the relaxation of border controls. It would be inappropriate to publish this information or comment further at this stage.

Immigration: Port of Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people entered the UK through the Port of Hull between July and November 2011.

Damian Green: Passenger arrivals figures for the third quarter of 2011 (July to September) are not yet available. A subset of the latest published data for the first quarter of 2011 along with figures for 2010 showing recent levels of passenger arrivals at Hull are given in the table. These figures are numbers of journeys and include passengers in transit who do not pass through immigration controls.
	
		
			 Passenger arrivals to the United Kingdom at Hull including EEA and Swiss nationals, January 2010 to March 2011 
			 Total passengers admitted Q1 2010 Q2 2010 Q3 2010 Q4 2010 Q1 2011 
			 Total 91,400 125,000 135,000 120,000 91,900 
			 Notes: 1. Includes airside transfer/transit passengers of all nationalities who did not pass through immigration control. 2. Numbers are rounded to three significant figures. Source: Home Office, Migration Statistics A subset of data in table ad.01q of ‘Immigration Statistics April to June 2011’. Provisional figures. 
		
	
	Total passenger arrivals figures relating to the second quarter (April to June) of 2011 will be published on 24 November 2011 in the Home Office Science publication, ‘Immigration Statistics July to September 2011’ and the third quarter will be published on 23 February 2012. These data will be available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/immigration-asylum-research/

Metal Theft

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 in deterring metal theft.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 in deterring metal theft.

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle metal theft.

Mark Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to tackle metal theft.

James Brokenshire: The Government recognise the growing problem of metal theft and are taking urgent steps to address it. The Home Office is discussing with other Government Departments what legislative changes are necessary to assist enforcement agencies and deter offenders, including a new licence regime for scrap metal dealers and prohibiting cash payments. We are also working with the Association of Chief Police Officers to establish a dedicated metal theft taskforce.

Police: Accountability

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police and crime commissioners will be designated as scheduled bodies for the purposes of membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Nick Herbert: It is the Government's intention to use the provision made within the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to transfer the assets and liabilities of Police Authorities to Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) when they assume office on 22 November 2012. In addition, steps are being taken to add PCCs to part 1 of schedule 2 of the Local Government Pension Scheme (Administration) Regulations 2008 (as amended), which means a PCC will be a scheduled body for Local Government Pension Scheme purposes.

Police: Accountability

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to consult police staff and their representative organisations on the transfer of police staff from police authorities to police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: The Government have indicated that they expect the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector to apply to the transfer of staff from police authorities to Police and Crime Commissioners under the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. Consequently, staff should not see any adverse impact on their current terms of employment as a result of the transfer. Were there to be any changes to staff terms, these would have to be negotiated at a local level as this falls outside the remit of the Secretary of State for the Home Department. To help facilitate a consistent approach, the Home Office has established a staff transition working group which brings together representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Association of Police Authorities, the Association of Police Authority Chief Executives and the trade union side of the police staff council.

Police: Firearms

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness and efficiency of the issuing of firearm licences to the public by police authorities; and what guidance she has issued to police forces on the procedure to be followed when issuing firearm licences to the public.

Nick Herbert: Under the Firearms Act 1968 responsibility for granting and renewing firearm and shotgun certificates lies with the chief officer of police for the area in which the applicant lives. Guidance issued to the police in 2002 was intended to assist consistency of practice between police forces and makes it clear that in operating the licensing system forces should aim to provide cost-effective systems which ensure the speedy and efficient processing of applications and which take into account good practice and the need to provide best value. The guidance is currently being reviewed and will then be republished.

Police: Freedom of Information

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) vexatious and (b) repeated requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 were received by each police force in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2011; and whether she has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of dealing with such requests.

Damian Green: The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Police: Manpower

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Cabinet Office guidelines on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector: Statement of Practice will apply to the transfer of police staff from police authorities to police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act provides for the abolition of police authorities and the creation of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). Under the Act, staff transfers can properly be regarded as an administrative reorganisation of public functions and authorities. As such, we expect the principles set out in the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector to be applied.

Police: Pensions

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether she proposes that HM Treasury's guidance entitled A Fair Deal for Staff Pensions will apply to the transfer of police staff from police authorities to police and crime commissioners;
	(2)  whether the Cabinet Office guidelines on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector: Statement of Practice and HM Treasury's guidance entitled A Fair Deal for Staff Pensions will be incorporated into the statutory transfer order which will transfer responsibility for police staff from police authorities to police and crime commissioners.

Nick Herbert: The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act provides for the abolition of police authorities and the creation of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs). Steps are being taken to permit a PCC to become the new employer in the Local Government Pension Scheme so that there will be pension continuity for former non-uniformed police authority staff. Consequently, HM Treasury's Fair Deal requirements would be fully complied with as the member would have no detriment as far as pension provision would be concerned. Furthermore, under the Act, staff transfers can properly be regarded as an administrative reorganisation of public functions and authorities. As such, we expect the principles set out in the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector to be applied.

Police: Training

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish her response to the consultation on the review of police leadership and training.

Nick Herbert: We will respond in due course.

Repatriation

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people who have applied and been refused the right to remain within the UK who have left the jurisdiction voluntarily in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The number of individuals who have applied and been refused the right to remain within the UK, who have subsequently left voluntarily in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Voluntary departures (number) 
			 2007 2,525 
			 2008 2,500 
			 2009 6,019 
			 2010 9,642 
			 2011 (1)5,096 
			 Total 25,782 
			 (1) Figures for 2011 are from January to September 2011. Notes: 1. Figures include removals via the Assisted Voluntary Return programme, notified voluntary departures, those identified via data matching and those identified at embarkation. 2. Figures were produced on 2 December 2011. 3. Figures are based on individuals’ removal date, not their application or refusal date. 4. All figures quoted are management information which has been subject to internal quality checks.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much illegal tobacco was seized in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: HM Revenue and Customs holds the policy on tackling tobacco smuggling, although HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency jointly deliver the operational enforcement of the strategy. A refreshed strategy for HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency, "Tackling Tobacco Smuggling—building on our success", was published in April 2011. This document gives details of cigarettes and tobacco seized and can be viewed via the following link.
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/news/tackling-tobacco.htm
	In the last five years, the total tobacco seized by both HMRC and UKBA is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Tobacco seized (tonnes) 
			 2010-11 389 
			 2009-10 406 
			 2008-09 258 
			 2007-08 194 
			 2006-07 228

UK Border Agency

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) job title, (b) pay band and (c) period of training is for each member of staff of the UK Border Force who has any involvement in the checking of passports and visas.

Damian Green: Border force officers, who are equivalent to the executive officer grade pay band, generally conduct passport and visa checks on arriving passengers.
	Nationwide, border force officers are supervised by higher border force officers (equivalent to higher executive officer grade/pay band) and supported by assistant border force officers (equivalent to administrative officer grade/pay band).
	Border force officers receive induction training to perform the full range of immigration functions. Officers who have been trained to carry out customs activities are provided with further training, to enable them to conduct some immigration functions.
	In the event of a critical incident, volunteer officers who have attended an additional training course, complemented by mentoring and online learning, may be deployed to check UK and other European Economic Area travel documents.

UK Border Agency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff were stationed in (a) Hull, (b) Grimsby and (c) Immingham in each year between 2000 and 2010.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency was established in 2008, therefore, we do not have any staffing figures prior to this. Staffing figures for the component parts of the UK Border Agency, the former Borders and Immigration Agency and the customs functions of HM Revenue and Customs, were maintained separately until they were merged on Home Office systems in April 2010. Therefore, the only accurate staffing figures we can provide are from April 2010, as follows. There were: 140 staff stationed in (a) Hull; no staff stationed in (b) Grimsby; and 71 staff based in (c) Immingham.

UK Border Agency

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff are stationed in (a) Hull, (b) Immingham and (c) Grimsby.

Damian Green: There are 133 staff UK Border Agency stationed at (a) Hull, no staff stationed at (b) Grimsby and 73 staff stationed at (c) Immingham.

Security Vetting

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to improve the operation of the criminal record status checks regime.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government have brought forward new provisions in the Protection of Freedoms Bill to allow an employer, with an applicant's consent, to check online whether a criminal record certificate contains all recent information.
	This addresses a key recommendation from Mrs Sunita Mason's Review of the Criminal Records Regime and is a significant enhancement to the service provided by the Criminal Record Bureau, which will greatly assist the portability of certificates and reduce repeat applications.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

British Waterways: Pay

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average percentage change in basic salary was for (a) directors, (b) the lowest paid member of staff and (c) the median salaried member of staff at British Waterways in the latest period for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: In May 2011, the British Waterways annual pay review resulted in the following changes to basic salary over 2010-11:
	(a) for directors: 0%;
	(b) for those earning £21,000 and below: £250 consolidated into salary; and
	(c) median salaried staff (i.e. those other than at (a) or (b)): 0%.

Food Labelling

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department has taken on the labelling of cheese to inform people of the risks to health associated with unpasteurised cheeses.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply.
	We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food safety and hygiene matters, that Regulation (EC) 853/2004 which lays down hygiene rules on foods of animal origin, requires that products made with raw milk must be clearly labelled with the words 'made with raw milk'. This includes labelling on the packaging, document, label, ring or collar accompanying or referring to the product. This point is expanded on in guidance which states that the labelling information concerning products made from raw milk applies up to the point of sale

Food Labelling

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice her Department provides to the public on the consumption of unpasteurised cheeses.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply.
	We are advised by the Food Standards Agency, which has responsibility for food safety and hygiene matters, that the Government advise vulnerable groups (pregnant women, children under five, elderly and immune-compromised) to avoid eating unpasteurised cheeses.

Coastal Areas

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the economic benefits of the coastal path.

Richard Benyon: An Impact Assessment of the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 was published in March 2010. Annex 4 of the Impact Assessment included an assessment of the provisions on coastal access under Part 9 of that Act.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies use when deciding whether and when to hold an internal audit; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The internal audit programme is proposed on an annual basis by the organisation’s head of internal audit (HIA) and approved by its Audit and Risk Committee. It should cover the key systems of governance, risk management and internal control. Programmes of internal audit work are developed in accordance with Government Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) (based on International Internal Audit Standards), taking into account guidance on internal audit planning issued by HM Treasury. The key criteria established by these standards for deciding what to audit is risk to corporate/strategic objectives.
	In the course of any year, the decision on whether to proceed with an audit will depend on the changing risk profile of the organisation. In addition, the HIA may decide to rely on available alternative sources of assurance rather than conduct an audit themselves.
	DEFRA Executive agencies’ internal audit programmes comprise a mix of risk-based, process/systems, legislative and European Union compliance audits. Each organisation’s annual programme of work may or may not include indicative timings for audit work. The decision on when to hold an audit will take account of a number of factors including:
	the nature of the risk;
	the timing of previous and related assurances over the risk;
	resource availability; and
	the requirements of third parties who rely on internal audit work (e.g. the NAO and the EC).

Departmental Buildings

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects her Department plans in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and what the cost of each such project will be.

Richard Benyon: The current significant projects for the core department which have been approved for 2011-12 are shown as follows. This consolidates both buildings and refurbishment projects as the two are often inseparable.
	
		
			 Business area Description of project Estimated cost (£ million) 
			 Core DEFRA spend on sustainability works in the core Department and on behalf of Executive agencies and NDPBs. The works have been a series of planned projects to reduce Carbon Emissions and improve energy efficiency. Based on estimates, this work will save DEFRA between £0.4 million and £0.5 million per annum. 1.5 
			 Core Work undertaken to facilitate the staff move from the 4th floor at 9 Millbank to Nobel House. This work has enabled DEFRA to reduce its estate portfolio and will reduce costs by £0.5 million per annum 0.026 
		
	
	At present, no plans have been approved for 2012-13.

Departmental Civil Proceedings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which organisations that have received funding from her Department have brought legal proceedings against her Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether her Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases.

Richard Benyon: None of the Department's arm's length bodies that are sponsored by, and receive funding from the Department have brought legal proceedings against the Department in the last five years.

Official Hospitality

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what receptions and events have been hosted by her Department since May 2010, including those sponsored by third parties.

Richard Benyon: There is no central record of all receptions and events the Department has hosted, and the Department will not be able to accurately collate this information without incurring disproportionate cost.

Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which services her Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

Richard Benyon: The core Department outsourced its facilities services in April 2009, and the Information Technology services contract which was put in place in October 2004 was reviewed in 2009 and extended in February 2010. There were no other transfers of functions from the core Department to the private sector in the past five years.

Internships

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many unpaid and expenses-only internships there have been in (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: For the period 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011, there were two unpaid and expense-only internships, both in the Environment Agency, a non-departmental public body.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Richard Benyon: The following table sets out details of written questions for answer on a named day that received a substantive answer within five working days.
	
		
			  Number of named day PQs received Number answered on time Proportion answered on time (percentage) 
			 June 2011 40 37 93 
			 July 2011 40 32 80 
			 August 2011 3 3 100 
			 September 2011 32 28 88 
		
	
	
		
			 October 2011 27 11 41 
			 November 2011 67 45 67

Eggs: Imports

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish any legal advice she received on the potential for the Government to implement a unilateral ban on the import of eggs from EU member states that have not complied with Directive 1999/74/EC.

James Paice: The Government's legal advice is protected by legal professional privilege. The Government's position is not ordinarily to waive the legal privilege attaching to any legal advice received.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider awarding points under the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme for allowing permissive recreational access as an incentive to land managers.

Richard Benyon: Unlike Entry Level Stewardship, Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) is not based on a points system, but comprises individual multi-objective agreements in highly targeted areas and situations where maximum environmental outcomes can be achieved. It is not therefore possible to introduce points for provision of permissive access.

Flood Control: Finance

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding her Department has allocated to flood prevention in each of the last three financial years.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA is due to spend £550 million in the current financial year on managing the risk of flooding and coastal erosion across England. This compares with £628 million in 2009-10, and £664 million in 2010-11. Over the four years of the 2010 spending review period, DEFRA expects to spend a total of £2.17 billion managing flood and coastal erosion risks in comparison with £2.32 billion during the previous four years. This is a reduction of 6%.

Floods: North-east England

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what flood and coastal environmental risk management schemes she plans for the north-east in the next 10 years.

Richard Benyon: In May, the Government announced reforms to the national funding system. The new partnership approach to funding flood and coastal resilience means that money is potentially available to pay a share of the costs of any worthwhile scheme. The amount each scheme can receive depends on the number of households protected, the damages prevented, and any other benefits a scheme will bring. Where full funding cannot be justified, the shortfall can be made up through cost savings or by contributions from other sources. This will mean that, over time, local ambitions in terms of protection no longer need be constrained by issues of national budgetary affordability.
	Decisions on flood and coastal erosion risk schemes to be delivered in the north-east are made by the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, with advice from the Environment Agency.
	The Environment Agency has proposed the following 18 indicative schemes within the committee's area for 2012-13, at a combined cost of £26,575,000:
	
		
			 Scheme name Funding allocated in 2012-13 (£000) 
			 Redcar 11,400 
			 Morpeth Flood Alleviation Scheme 5,327 
			 Realignment of Littlehaven Sea Wall 2,931 
			 Greatham North 2,532 
			 Seaton Carew Northern Management Unit Phase 2 (MA13.1 B-E) 2,100 
			 Town Wall Model Study and Construction C6-3, Hartlepool 1,200 
			 Blyth Sea Defences 315 
			 Stokesley Flood Alleviation Scheme(1) 200 
			 Stanhope River Wear Flood Alleviation Scheme 125 
			 Neasham Village Flood Protection and Reservoir Safety Works 75 
			 North Blyth Coast Protection Scheme 75 
			 Briarvale—Appraisal, Design and Construction(1) 50 
			 Fairfield Green—Appraisal, Design and Construction(1) 50 
			 Netherton Flood Alleviation Scheme 50 
			 Newbiggin Point Coast Protection Scheme 50 
			 Strategy Frontage 3—North East Pier/South West Breakwater/Hendon Foreshore Barrier(1) 50 
			 Newbiggin Bay Beach Management Phase 2 25 
			 Strategy Frontage 1—South Bents and Seaburn Sea Walls Overtopping Protection(1) 20 
			 Total 26,575 
			 (1) Funding shown is to develop the business case, and does not include construction. Funding for construction will depend on the outcome of the business case. 
		
	
	The schemes include those promoted directly by the Environment Agency as well as schemes being promoted directly by local authorities. The final programme for 2012-13 will be announced in February 2012. 12 of these schemes are being made possible by local contributions under the new partnership funding arrangements.
	The Environment Agency also proposes to spend £2,149,000 in 2012-13 on the maintenance of existing schemes, improvements to flood forecasting, mapping and warning and on studies for future schemes. It is working with local stakeholders on a programme of further flood and coastal environmental risk schemes it hopes will be implemented over the next 10 years.

Land: Sustainable Development

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to maintain national sustainable development indicator (a) 25 on land recycling and (b) 26 on dwelling density; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Government are committed to publishing a revised set of sustainable development indicators. DEFRA officials are discussing individual indicators with the relevant Government Departments, in this case the Department for Communities and Local Government. No decisions have yet been made on which measures will continue as sustainable development indicators but, in the new year, we shall be undertaking a public consultation on proposals. In the interests of making the sustainable development indicators more effective at highlighting priorities and challenges, the number of indicators may be reduced, but in most cases measures that are no longer included in the set will nevertheless continue to be reported in their own right by the relevant Department.

Waste Disposal: Lighting

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration she has given to providing advice to consumers on dealing with broken energy-saving light bulbs; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) contain a small amount of mercury in order to operate. Since 1 September 2010, it has been a legal obligation under EU Regulation 244/2009 for anyone placing lamps containing mercury on the market to provide instructions on free-access websites that explain how to clean up lamp debris in case of accidental lamp breakage.
	In addition, the Health Protection Agency provides advice on how to clean up broken CFLs on its website.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which special areas of conservation are covered by the European Habitats Directive; and which special protection areas are covered by the European Birds Directive.

Richard Benyon: All special areas of conservation (SAC) are designated under articles 3 and 4 of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). All special protection areas (SPA) are designated under article 4 of the EU Wild Birds Directive (2009/147/EC—codified version).
	European protected site information can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish an environmental impact assessment of the proposal to review implementation of the European Habitats and Wild Birds Directive.

Richard Benyon: The review of implementation of the Birds and Habitats Directives will take full account of the need to maintain the integrity of the purpose of the directives. If any proposals arising from the review require impact assessments these will be carried out at the appropriate time.

Nature Conservation: EU Law

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason her Department plans to conduct a review of how well the EU Habitats and Wild Birds Directives are being applied in England.

Richard Benyon: As announced in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), DEFRA will conduct an in-depth review of how the EU Habitats and Birds Directives are currently being implemented in England, working with stakeholders and other Government Departments.
	The vast majority of development cases successfully meet the directives' requirements without undue delays, but a small number raise particularly complex issues which can give rise to delays. The review will look at the reasons behind this and seek to identify solutions, engaging interested parties in its work, while maintaining the integrity of the purpose of the directives.

Noise: National Policy Statements

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to update the Noise Policy Statement for England.

Richard Benyon: There are currently no plans to update the Noise Policy Statement for England 2010. However, as we stated in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper, the Government are committed to delivering the Noise Policy Statement for England with its long-term vision of promoting good health and good quality of life. This will be achieved through the effective management of noise in the context of the Government's policy on sustainable development.

Pollution: EU Law

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  for what reason her Department plans to conduct a review of the implementation of the EU ambient air quality directive;
	(2)  for what reason she plans to review the implementation of the EU national emissions ceiling directive;

Richard Benyon: In March, the European Commission published their Staff Working Paper on the implementation of EU air quality policy and preparations for their comprehensive review. The paper makes clear that proposals to revise ambient air quality and national emission ceilings legislation are expected in 2013. Existing legislation includes provisions for such reviews.

Postcodes

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA uses postcodes to identify particular areas on mapping databases and in analysis of spatial data to support a range of departmental activities; for example: analysis of rural statistics and animal disease control.

Rights of Way

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to improve the ease with which incorrectly identified rights of way can be corrected.

Richard Benyon: In the Government White Paper: “The Natural Choice: securing the value of nature”, DEFRA announced that it will consult on simplifying and streamlining the processes for recording and making changes to public rights of way, based on proposals made by Natural England's working group on unrecorded rights of way. I am currently considering the options for this consultation and expect to make an announcement in due course.

Rural Areas: Renewable Energy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to launch her proposed Rural Community Renewable Energy Fund.

Richard Benyon: Further details about the Government's Rural Community Renewable Energy Fund, including its funding, management and operation, will be published in the new year.

Waste Management: Exports

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of waste were exported from the UK for treatment abroad in each of the last five years; and what proportion of the UK’s waste this represented.

Richard Benyon: The following table details the tonnage of waste exported from England and Wales for the last five years under the system of pre-notification to the Environment Agency under the EU waste shipments regulation. These permitted shipments are mainly hazardous wastes shipped to EU member states and members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
	
		
			 Exports of waste from England and Wales 
			 Tonnes 
			  Disposal Recovery Total 
			 2006 0 115,754 115,754 
			 2007 0 136,164 136,164 
			 2008 35 184,456 184,491 
			 2009 1,224 246,919 248,143 
			 2010 41 562,335 562,376 
		
	
	In addition to this notified waste, DEFRA estimates that approximately 15 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste is exported each year for recovery including recycling, which represents around 5% of the UK’s waste. As this waste may be exported without pre-notification and under commercial controls, the Environment Agency does not collect data about these shipments.

Water Supply

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the options for (a) water supply and (b) billing of those receiving water via resale; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Water resale commonly occurs in mobile home parks, flats, apartments and other rented or leasehold accommodation. Under section 150 of the Water Industry Act 1991, Ofwat have the power to make an order fixing the maximum resale price for water or sewerage services, either by specifying the maximum amount of the charge or by specifying how the maximum price should be calculated.
	Ofwat have said in their forward programme for 2011-12 to 2013-14 that they will review the water resale order in 2012 to ensure it remains appropriate.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to answer questions (a) 74350, (b) 74351, (c) 74352 and (d) 74353 tabled by the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan on 12 October 2011.

Richard Benyon: I apologise to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan. My answers on (a) 74350 and (b) 74351 will be published shortly. My answer on (c) 74352, was published on 23 November 2011, Official Report, 424W and (d) 74353, was published on 30 November 2011, Official Report, 942W.

SCOTLAND

Broadband

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on increasing the take-up of new high speed broadband in Scotland.

David Mundell: Scotland Office Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on a range of issues including broadband. I attended the Ministerial Group on Broadband, most recently on 10 October 2011.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  whether food and catering services in his Department plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards;
	(2)  what steps the food and catering services in his Department are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have food and catering services.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

David Mundell: There have been no secondments to the Scotland Office from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

David Mundell: This information is not available in the form requested.
	From the start of the 2010-12 Session to 30 November 2011, the Scotland Office answered 444 (90%) of ordinary written parliamentary questions on time.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last had a discussion with the Scottish Government on the extension of the proposed High Speed 2 line to the Scottish border.

David Mundell: My officials and I are in regular contact with counterparts in the Scottish Government in regard to the High Speed 2 project. We look forward to having more detailed discussions if and when the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), approves proposals for the initial phases of the project, for construction of a line from London to the West Midlands, and north to Manchester and Leeds.

Housing Benefit: Carers

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has (a) held discussions and (b) corresponded with (i) the Scottish Government, (ii) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and (iii) children’s charities in Scotland on the effect of the planned introduction of an under-occupancy limit for housing benefit on foster carers of working age in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and officials from the Scotland Office are in contact with these organisations on a range of issues concerning the Government’s reform of the welfare and benefits system.

Public Houses

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions officials in his Department have had with their counterparts in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on their response to the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee's inquiry into pub companies insofar as it relates to Scotland.

David Mundell: Officials in BIS have been in contact with their counterparts in the Scotland Office and in the Office of the Advocate-General in respect of this inquiry. Following investigation, the OFT found no evidence of competition problems in the pub industry having a significant impact on consumers. It was concluded that legally binding self-regulation of pub companies, or 'pubcos', could be introduced far more quickly than any statutory solution. Officials in OAG confirmed that the code of practice can be made legally binding under Scots law by contract or incorporation into, or variation of, leases; the legal principles are similar to those in England and Wales.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: This Department and its Executive agency, the Royal Parks, try to commission services that encompass economic, social and environmental aspects. Usually this is included within the statement of requirements. Other centralised contracts are commissioned by Cabinet Office directly.

EDUCATION

Capita

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts his Department has awarded to Capita since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each such contract.

Tim Loughton: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt) on 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1138W.

Child Protection Review

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress he has made on implementation of the recommendations of the Munro report into child protection.

Tim Loughton: Good progress is being made across the full range of commitments in the Government response published in July.
	We are reducing bureaucracy and making it easier for the front line to use their professional judgment through revisions to “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and the “Framework of Assessment for Children in Need and their Families”. There will be a formal consultation from early 2012 and we will publish revised statutory guidance by July 2012. A multi-disciplinary professional advisory group is advising us on this work.
	Government, Ofsted and the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) have come together with a range of other partners to develop and agree local child safeguarding performance information that puts professional expertise, rather than process, at the heart of local quality assurance. This is now published on the Department's website and we will be consulting in the new year on national performance information.
	Over the summer, Ofsted consulted on local authority child protection inspection arrangements that are more child centred. These new arrangements will begin in May 2012. All relevant inspectorates have also now agreed in principle to Professor Munro's proposed model of joint inspection to ensure that the contribution of all local services to safeguarding is examined. The inspectorates are working through what such a model will look like and when it will begin, and will give a progress update by end March 2012.
	On 31 October we published a co-produced work programme, “Safeguarding Children in the reformed NHS”. Phase one is under way, led by the Chief Nursing Officer. Stakeholders will be consulted on the draft Accountabilities Framework in January 2012.
	We have been working with partners to consider the best route to secure Professor Munro's vision of a transparent and co-ordinated offer of early help for children and families. We have engaged with partners in ADCS, health, police and education and have concluded that we do not need a new statutory duty to deliver early help and that there is sufficient existing legislation to realise Professor Munro's recommendation. We will continue to work with partners to clarify existing legislation to emphasise the importance of early help. In the meantime we encourage local areas to continue to work to provide early help for the compelling arguments that Professor Munro articulated.
	We are working with eight local authorities to trial more flexible approaches to assessment. The evidence from these trials is being evaluated now. The emerging findings are encouraging and suggest that both removing the distinction between the initial and core assessments and replacing nationally prescribed time scales for assessment with timely, professional judgments can have the positive impact on practice envisaged by Professor Munro. Some of these trials have been running for only a few months and we need to explore further the impact of these changes, especially for children and young people. For this reason we have extended the trials to run until 31 March 2012 and will be consulting on flexibilities as part of the “Working Together” consultation next year.
	After consultation, and a market sounding exercise, we have taken the decision to decommission the National electronic Common Assessment Framework system (National eCAF). This is consistent with Professor Munro's view that we should remove constraints to local innovation and professional judgment that are created by prescribing approaches such as national IT systems. We will work with the current users of the system over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition. As part of the decommissioning process we will consider the options to secure value out of the Government owned assets.
	Our reforms of child protection are underpinned by workforce reform, in particular reform of the social work profession which is being led by the Social Work Reform Board and the College of Social Work.
	The Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) and the College of Social Work are supporting local authorities in designating a Principal Child and Family Social Worker in every local area. These roles will play a key part in redesigning child and family social work. The Department for Education and the Department of Health have been making preparations for the appointment of a Chief Social Worker to advise Government on social work practice and the effectiveness of help being provided to children, families and adults. We are confident that the Chief Social Worker will be in post in 2012, ahead of the timeline envisaged in the Government's response.
	We are clarifying and strengthening accountabilities in the system and taking action to improve learning from Serious Case Reviews.
	We are currently consulting on new guidance for DCSs and Lead Members so that we have real clarity about their roles. My officials and I have also held discussions with groups of Local Safeguarding Children Boards Chairs to consider what might be done to strengthen their central role in challenging and monitoring the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and we will be exploring options with stakeholders over coming weeks. This will build on our reforms around learning, early help, inspection and performance information which emphasise the importance of LSCBs.
	Improving learning from serious incidents is critical to driving improvements in practice in child protection. Following Professor Munro's recommendation to use systems methodologies for Serious Case Reviews (SCR), we are considering how the Social Care Institute for Excellence's (SCIE) “Learning Together” model can be developed further for use in SCRs. I announced last month that Coventry LSCB would pilot the SCIE model and we have now agreed that Lancashire LSCB will also carry out a pilot. While the pilots are in progress, my officials are also exploring, learning from sectors such as aviation and health, other ways of ensuring effective, sustained learning from serious incidents embedded in everyday practice, with greater transparency and accountability. We will consult formally on new arrangements for SCRs next year.
	We have been working with Ofsted to develop transitional arrangements in response to Professor Munro's recommendation to end Ofsted's evaluation of SCRs. From January 2012, Ofsted evaluations of SCRs will be more streamlined with a greater focus on identifying and embedding learning in order to support improvements in professional practice.
	Implementing the Munro recommendations requires a shift in mindset. The Government response was not intended to be seen as a one-off set of recommended solutions to be imposed from the centre, but a joint venture between central Government, local agencies, local authorities and professionals. Our reforms are designed to shift the focus of the child protection system on to the things that matter most: the views and experiences of children and young people.

Children in Care

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will expand the destination codes in the SSDA903 return to identify when a child runs away from care or is abducted or trafficked.

Tim Loughton: The Department has no plans to expand the codes under which local authorities provide statistical returns on children missing from care, as this will lead to an unnecessary increase in reporting requirements. It is the responsibility of local authorities to safeguard and promote the well-being of children in care, and they will hold more detailed information on each child who has gone missing from their care.

Children in Care

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he has taken to encourage local authorities to share good practice and reduce poor performance in providing services for looked-after children.

Tim Loughton: We have made clear that we want to see rapid improvements in the quality of support given to looked-after children, and in the volume and timeliness of adoption where this is in the child's best interest. It is therefore essential to bring all authorities up to the standards of the best. The new Children in Care and Adoption Performance Tables, published on 31 October and being updated this month, show the extent of the variations in performance between different authorities, and where improvements need to be made.
	Local authorities need to ensure that they draw on best practice and make full use of evidence based interventions such as Multi-dimensional Treatment Foster Care. We will continue to support them in doing this, and to help maximise the impact of well-informed local support and challenge from independent reviewing officers, virtual school heads, children in care councils and voluntary sector networks.
	A full set of streamlined, more coherent regulations and guidance came into force in April, and revised national minimum standards have also been published. The Foster Carers' Charter now sets out clear principles for how foster carers should be supported and our programme of improvement for children's homes includes support for the sharing of good practice and identifying and tackling weaknesses.

Children in Care: Finance

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the appropriate level for the leaving care grant set by local authorities; and whether he is taking steps to ensure that variability between local authorities in setting such grants is reduced.

Tim Loughton: The Department does not collect information on the level of setting up home allowances, sometimes known as leaving care grants, determined by individual local authorities. Statutory guidance on the Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010 emphasises how important it is for local authorities to provide transparent and accessible information about the leaving care support they offer, including through the payment of setting up home allowances. The guidance explains that local authorities should consult young people, particularly through Children in Care Councils, in deciding the right level of allowance.

Children: Autism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many students with autism are enrolled in mainstream schools in (a) Greater London, (b) the London borough of Havering and (c) Romford;
	(2)  how many students with autism are enrolled in specialist schools in (a) Greater London, (b) the London borough of Havering and (c) Romford.

Sarah Teather: The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools (1,2,3,4) : Number and percentage of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder (5,6) —January 2011, England, Greater London, Havering local authority and Romford parliamentary constituency 
			  Pupils with statements of SEN or at School Action Plus with autistic spectrum disorder (5,6) 
			  State-funded primary schools (1,2) State-funded secondary schools (1,3) Special schools (4) Total (1,2,3,4) 
			  No. % (7) No. % (7) No. % (7) No. % (7) 
			 England(8) 22,810 6.9 20,615 7.5 18,150 19.6 61,570 8.8 
			 Greater London(8) 4,595 7.8 2,710 5.9 3,175 26.1 10,485 8.9 
			 Havering local authority 82 7.1 79 7.9 15 6.3 176 7.4 
			 Romford parliamentary constituency 36 7.4 20 6.3 n/a n/a 56 6.9 
			 n/a = Not applicable. No schools of this type. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology and secondary academies. (4) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. (6) Information on primary need, and if appropriate, secondary need, is collected for pupils at School Action Plus and those pupils with a statement of SEN. Information on primary need only is given here. (7) Number of pupils with autistic spectrum disorder expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population of pupils at School Action Plus or with a statement of SEN in the same geographical cohort. (8) National and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: School Census 
		
	
	Information on type of special educational need at local authority level is available in the ‘Special Educational Needs in England: January 2011’ Statistical First Release (Tables 23 to 25) which can be found at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001007/index.shtml

Children: Day Care

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the total funding from the public purse for child care (a) in total and (b) per capita for (i) Birmingham, (ii) Newcastle, (iii) Wakefield, (iv) Manchester, (v) Leeds, (vi) Liverpool, (vii) Coventry, (viii) Bristol, (ix) Sheffield, (x) Bradford, (xi) Leicester and (xii) Nottingham in each of the next five years.

Sarah Teather: The Department funds local authorities to provide free early education places (of 15 hours per week for 38 weeks a year) for all three and four-year-olds and some disadvantaged two-year-olds. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his autumn statement on 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, that the commitment to give free early education to disadvantaged two-year-olds will now be extended from 20% to 40% of two-year-olds by 2014-15. This will mean additional funding of £73 million in 2012-13, £203 million in 2013-14 and £380 million in 2014-15, bringing the total funding for two-year-old places to £296 million, £534 million and £760 million in these years.
	Funding for places for three and four-year-olds is provided through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) which funds education for all children aged three to 16. Funding for places for disadvantaged two-year-olds is provided through the early intervention grant (EIG) which also funds a range of other children’s services. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how much of the DSG, EIG or other local authority funds to allocate for free early education places.
	Local authorities report their planned funding allocations through the annual section 251 financial return. From this information, an estimate of the funding allocated in 2011-12 for free early education places for two, three and four-year-olds and other early years spend in each of the named local authorities is provided in the following table. However, this may not represent the full spend on early years and child care services by the local authority. Further information on local authority allocations is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/strategy/financeandfunding/section251/b00197958/s251-workbooks-budget-2011-12
	
		
			 £ 
			  Early years  
			 Local authority EIG or other DSG Total 
			 (i) Birmingham 10,261,127 56,559,326 66,820,453 
			 (ii) Newcastle 863,510 10,874,511 11,738,021 
			 (iii) Wakefield 874,070 14,072,831 14,946,901 
			 (iv) Manchester 3,587,000 28,435,265 32,022,265 
			 (v) Leeds 4,659,580 26,801,102 31,460,682 
			 (vi) Liverpool 1,118,975 8,734,712 9,853,687 
			 (vii) Coventry 2,151,557 13,412,432 15,563,989 
			 (viii) Bristol 692,000 20,470,401 21,162,401 
			 (ix) Sheffield 2,500 25,405,962 25,408,462 
			 (x) Bradford 9,889,483 29,996,382 39,885,865 
			 (xi) Leicester 5,818,256 5,804,435 11,622,691 
			 (xii) Nottingham 4,203,642 12,361,696 16,565,338 
		
	
	The Department does not hold information on the funding per capita for child care or on funding projections for the next five years in each local authority area. The Government also provide financial support towards the cost of child care, for working parents, through the child care element of working tax credit and through tax relief on employer supported child care.

Departmental Advertising

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advertising campaigns his Department has commissioned in each of the last three years; and what the cost was of each campaign.

Tim Loughton: The requested information is outlined in the following table. The figures include all production costs for the campaigns including media and production fees. Where a figure of zero spend has been provided, this is because no campaigns have been run in that year.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Campaign 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 
			 Alcohol and Young People behaviour change campaign 4.982,490 0 0 
			 14-19 Diplomas awareness campaign 4,914,179 0 0 
			 Sure Start brand awareness campaign 3,502,038 0 0 
			 Science and Maths behaviour change campaign 2,986,564 0 0 
			 Teenage Pregnancy behaviour change campaign 2,669,169 0 0 
			 Internet Safety Partnership Campaign 2,526,705 0 0 
			 Modern Foreign Languages behaviour change campaign 1,988,166 0 0 
			 Frank Drugs Campaign 1,498,323 0 0 
			 Social Work Recruitment Campaign 1,354,611 0 0 
			 Extended Services awareness campaign 1,012,992 0 0 
			 Affordable Childcare public information campaign 497,969 0 0 
			 Cyber Bullying Digital Campaign 469,976 0 0 
			 Total 28,403,182 0.00 0.00

Departmental Civil Proceedings

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which organisations that have received funding from his Department have brought legal proceedings against his Department in the last five years; which such organisations were not successful in their actions; and whether his Department (a) applied and (b) was paid for costs in respect of such cases.

Tim Loughton: Records of legal proceedings against the Department for Education and its predecessors are not sorted by reference to whether the organisations bringing proceedings are funded by the Department. A search and analysis of all records of legal proceedings brought over the past five years would involve disproportionate cost. However, the following organisations that have received funding from the Department have brought proceedings against the Department in the past 18 months: the Child Poverty Action Group, Essex county council, Kent county council, Luton borough council, Newham London borough council, Nottingham city council, Sandwell metropolitan borough council, Waltham Forest London borough council. The Child Poverty Action Group's and Essex county council's claims against the Department have yet to be heard. The claims brought by the other six organisations were joined together and were successful.

Departmental Communications

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: As part of wider reforms to our corporate functions, and rationalising the number of agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the Department is currently centralising communications functions and reducing communication staff numbers.
	The Department has reduced its total communications staff from 130 in April 2010, to 86 in April 2011, to 69 to date. Communication staff numbers in agencies and non-departmental public bodies have reduced from 204 in April 2010, to 105 in April 2011, and we anticipate this figure to reduce to zero by the end of the financial year.
	There are currently (a) 15 press officers, (b) four internal communications officers, (d) four communications strategy officers, and (e) 46 other positions with a communications remit in the Department; for example web editing, speechwriting, publishing, and events management. We do not categorise (c) external communications officers.

Design Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contracts his Department has awarded for design services since May 2010; and what information his Department holds on the location of such companies.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education let a new framework agreement for creative media services on 4 July 2011. This framework replaced a number of old frameworks, including design services.
	The new framework was awarded to Creative Choice—a newly-formed small medium enterprise (SME) consortium and community interest company. Three principal companies provide first tier management functions:
	Live Group (chair and project management) based in London/Sheffield;
	WCL (account management) based in London; and
	CDS (sourcing and supply management) based in Leeds.
	This first tier manages a broad second tier supply base, including companies delivering design services. The framework is currently mid-process in evaluating potential suppliers. Phase 1 is complete, and due to the significant interest from the SME market—a phase 2 has started and will be completed by January 2012. To date the following design companies have joined the second tier supply base (location in brackets):
	Bell (London);
	Bentley Holland (London);
	Brass(Leeds);
	Buffalo Design (Bath);
	CDS (Leeds);
	Domarn Group (London);
	Folio Creative Communication Ltd (Henley-on-Thames, Oxon);
	Kindred (London);
	Live Group (London);
	Oxford Strategic Marketing (Oxford);
	the Workshop (Sheffield);
	Wordlink (London); and
	Yes Agency (Uttoxeter, Staffs).
	The phase 2 evaluation will add a further four to six design companies to this list.

Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what procedures his Department has put in place to ensure value for money on purchases; and what savings have been realised through use of such procedures in the last year.

Tim Loughton: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), in his answer to his hon. Friend the Member for Southport (John Pugh) on 15 November 2010, Official Report, columns 615-16W, said that the Government had announced a more specific and innovative approach to efficiency and reform across the public sector led by the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) in Cabinet Office, including:
	a reduction in administration budgets of 34% across the whole of Whitehall and its arm's length bodies saving £5.9 billion a year by 2014-15;
	radically reducing the number of arm's length bodies across government; and
	the Efficiency and Reform Group's tough new efficiency regime which will drive savings in procurement, major projects and estate management.
	The Department has established internal procedures which underpin these cross-Government arrangements introduced by ERG, and which provide scrutiny of spend across the Department for Education and our arm’s length bodies.
	It is departmental policy to competitively tender all contract opportunities and to award contracts to the supplier offering best value for money.
	In August 2011, the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), announced that ERG's new measures had saved £3.75 billion over 2010/11.
	This impact was assessed using methodologies follows at Annex A. The assessment has been independently verified by Government auditors who found the benefits assertions to be fairly calculated and presented.
	These savings are born out in my Department's annual report and accounts 2010-11:
	http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/d/annual%20report%20and%20accounts%202010%2011.pdf
	Note 9 (a), page 83, reports that other administration costs for my Department reduced from £70.713 million in financial year 2009-10 to £65.868 million in financial year 2010-11. Figures in this report are prepared in accordance with HM Treasury's Financial Reporting Manual for central Government Departments and associated Treasury resource accounting and budgeting guidance.
	
		
			 Annex A: Activity and calculation method 
			 Area Activity description Evidence base/calculation 
			 Consulting Government put in place a moratorium on new consulting spend, and extensions to existing contracts. Where spend was considered operationally critical (for example, where it might put at risk critical services) an exception process existed for department ministers to sign off expenditure over £20,000. Savings are calculated by subtracting total departmental reported spend on consultancy for 2010/11 from total departmental reported spend on consultancy for 2009/10. To reduce the risk of costs shifting between categories, we also monitored expenditure on other Professional Services categories, including contingent labour. 
			    
			 Crown Commercial Government has renegotiated deals with some of the largest suppliers to government. The method of calculation varies according to the initiative that yields the saving, but was based on cash releasing savings against a baseline of what would have otherwise been spent. This was often price savings against the previous price paid. Savings agreed with suppliers are recorded in Memoranda of Understanding as guaranteed-in-year or conditional-in-year savings. Realised savings were subsequently tracked back to departmental verification of supplier progress reports. 
			    
			 Contingent Labour Government has significantly cut the number of temporary staff. Savings are calculated by subtracting total departmental reported spend on contingent labour for 2010/11 from total departmental reported spend on contingent labour for 2009/10. 
			    
			 Communications Government froze all new marketing spend unless it is an operational necessity. Where spend was proposed, Ministerial sign-off was required for £20,000 or above. Calculations compare departmental spend on marketing and advertising through COI for 2010/11 with that for 2009/10. 
		
	
	
		
			 Centralising Procurement Government has started to centralise spend on common goods and services to drive down prices. These savings derive from the 10 categories of expenditure targeted for centralisation, and relate to price savings through increased aggregation. For each initiative, calculations are performed using individual benefit methodologies that set out how savings will be calculated against a 2009/10 price baseline. Evidence is management information provided by suppliers. 
			    
			 ICT We implemented: (a) a moratorium on all new ICT spend above £1 million; and (b) a review of all on-going ICT commitments. Departments also reported those projects that were closed before undergoing the review. Calculations are based on departmental reports of spend that has not proceeded. Spend that has not gone ahead in 2010/11 is recorded, as a result of stopping or reducing spend. Further, sustainable savings are targeted through the Government ICT strategy. 
			    
			 Major Projects We reviewed the Government's biggest projects to see where 2010/11 costs could practically be reduced within contractual constraints, or wasteful projects stopped altogether. We've halted or curtailed spend on 4 projects: 14-19 Reform—£60 million Identity Cards—£50 million Highways Agency Projects—£54 million Whole Farm—£5 million. We have redacted £22 million of potential double counting from these figures that arises between this work and our supplier renegotiation work stream. £14.9 million arises from the Home Office National Identity Cards and £6.7 million from DEFRA Whole Farm. HMT have provided assurance that the relevant amounts were removed from departmental budgets following the Major Projects related negotiations. 
			    
			 Property We put in place national property controls such that signature of new property leases or lease extensions were approved centrally. It has not always been possible to net off all costs associated with vacating buildings. However, we have also not claimed savings in respect of revenue from property disposals. Calculations are property by property based on the amount departments have reported saved through the Government's property database by non-renewal of property leases at lease breaks or upon lease expiry.

Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years.

Tim Loughton: When the Department vacated Caxton house in November 2007 and handed the building to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), as part of its central London estate rationalisation strategy, six members of staff from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (the predecessor to the Department for Education) who provided mailroom, security guarding and reception services transferred to DWP’s outsourced service provider.
	While the Department had already outsourced elements of its security guarding services in sanctuary buildings before the period requested, further day-time guarding services were transferred to the existing outsourced contract in 2009/10.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department allocated to (a) the Institute of Physics, (b) the Life Science Centre, (c) Mathematics in Education and Industry, (d) the Royal Society of Engineering, (e) Stemnet, (f) Sporting Futures, (g) Sports Coach UK and (h) Youth Sport Trust in 2010-11; how much it plans to pay each organisation in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Department's finance system shows that payments made to the named organisations in financial year 2010-11 was as given in the following table. Also included are estimates of the funding for financial year 2011-12.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Payments made in financial year 2010-11 Estimated funding 2011-12 
			 Institute of Physics 1,073,308 1,300,000 
			 The Life Science Centre 48,756 0 
			 Mathematics in Education and Industry 1,467,331 1,500,000 
			 The Royal Academy of Engineering(1) 12,000 12,000 
			 Stemnet 2,204,421 1,500,000 
			 Sporting Futures ' 0 0 
			 Sports Coach UK 102,90.0 0 
			 Youth Sport Trust 12,395,730 750,000 
			 (1) The PQ refers to the Royal Society of Engineering though the actual name is as shown in the table.

Departmental Travel Costs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on first class travel by (a) air, (b) boat and (c) train since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: Between May 2010 and September 2011 the Department for Education spent £192,510 on first-class rail journeys and there were no first-class journeys by sea or air during this period.
	70% of the first-class rail tickets spend between May 2010 and September 2011 (17 months) was spent in the five months May to September 2010 (£134,670 of a total of £192,510)
	First-class rail travel costs for the period May 2010 to March 2011 was £166,636 (10.5%) of the total £1,585,485 rail travel costs.
	First-class rail travel costs for the period April to September 2011 (six months) was £25,874 (4.3%) of the total £595,115 rail travel costs.
	This information is a summary of transactions through the Department's Business Travel booking agent, Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
	There are clear policy principles guiding this issue and staff are expected to travel standard-class except in a very few special circumstances, including access to facilities to accommodate disabilities or if it can be demonstrated that a first-class ticket is lower cost than standard class. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and other Ministers have a policy of travelling in standard class and the only first-class rail journey purchased since May 2010 by a member of this group was undertaken by the Secretary of State on 9 September 2010. On this occasion, the Secretary of State's Private Office was instructed by No. 10 officials to purchase a first-class ticket that ensured Mr Gove travelled with the Prime Minister first class to Norwich from London and return, in the same carriage, for security reasons.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Tim Loughton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Month due Proportion of named day PQs answered substantively within five working days (percentage) 
			 April 2011 69 
			 May 2011 59 
			 June 2011 51 
			 July 2011 76 
			 September 2011 59 
			 October 2011 44 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Disadvantaged

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to support families adversely affected by the current economic climate.

Sarah Teather: The Department is providing significant support to families in the current economic climate. We are seeking to ensure that economic difficulties do not impair children's long-term life chances and that we support families to improve their circumstances.
	In addition to the Government's support provided to families through the tax and benefit system, the Government have also allocated £2.2 billion (2011-12) and £2.3 billion (2012-13) in England to fund universal programmes and activities to all children, young people and families via the Early Intervention Grant.
	The Department is extending the 15 hours per week of free early education currently offered to all three and four-year-olds, to 40% of two-year-olds by 2014-15. We are also reforming Sure Start to support better the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families. The Government have also committed to continuing to provide free school meals to the most disadvantaged families.
	The Department is providing £12.4 million over 2011-13 to voluntary and community sector organisations to deliver family support services online and through telephone helplines. Services are available to all families who can access a range of free, professional support including relationship advice, services tailored specifically for fathers, supporting single parents and information about benefits. A survey of users of the family services in September 2011 reported that 74% of users were women and that 52% of users had a joint household income of less than £25,000. 23% of users had a joint household income of less than £15,000. The survey also reported that 21% of users were unemployed.
	We have also introduced new grants for the most disadvantaged young people through the Fairness Premium and the 16-19 Bursary Fund.

Drugs: Health Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of specific (a) school and (b) community-based drug education programmes;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that school and community-based drug education programmes are commissioned on the basis of evidence of effectiveness;
	(3)  what guidance he provides to local authorities on the commissioning of drug education programmes;
	(4)  whether he has considered introducing a minimum requirement for school-based drug education in Key Stages 2, 3 and 4.

Sarah Teather: The Drug Strategy, published in December 2010, recognised that all young people need high quality drug and alcohol education so they have a thorough knowledge of their effects and harms and have the skills and confidence to choose not to use drugs and alcohol. It said that schools have a clear role to play in preventing drug and alcohol misuse as part of their pastoral responsibilities to pupils. This will be supported by revised, simplified guidance for schools on preventing drug and alcohol misuse.
	It is not the role of Government to dictate decisions that are best made locally by professionals, so the Department does not issue guidance to local authorities on the commissioning of drug education programmes.
	Drug education is currently a statutory part of the national curriculum for science at key stages 2, 3 and 4. Pupils are taught about the effects on the body of tobacco, alcohol and other substances and how these relate to their personal health.
	The Department is currently reviewing the national curriculum. It has already confirmed that English, mathematics, science and physical education will continue to be compulsory in future. DfE will consult next year on the proposed programmes of study for these four subjects. Proposals for the new scope of the national curriculum will be announced next year, following which there will be consultation before final decisions are made.
	Drug education is also part of the non-statutory subject of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education at key stages 2, 3 and 4. Pupils are taught which drugs are illegal and the personal and social consequences of drug misuse for themselves and others.
	PSHE education is currently under review. The aim is to identify the core body of knowledge that pupils need and to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE teaching. Research findings form part of the national and international evidence base for the review. The Department will consult on its proposals for PSHE education next year.

Education: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish details of the allocation of the extra £500 million in basic need funding he announced in July 2011.

Nick Gibb: The announcement was made on 3 November. This can be accessed by using the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/schoolscapital/a00199873/allocation-of-extra-500-million-to-address-the-shortaqe-in-pupil-places

GCSE: Religion

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has undertaken any research on the number of pupils choosing to take a GCSE in religious education following the decision not to include the subject in the English baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: The Department has not undertaken research specifically on the number of pupils choosing to take a GCSE in religious education following the introduction of the English baccalaureate.
	It has undertaken research on the impact of the English baccalaureate on subject choices, which was published on 31 August 2011. The survey indicated that 47% of pupils taking GCSEs in 2013 in the schools responding will be taking subjects that could lead to an English baccalaureate, compared with just 23% of GCSE-stage pupils entered in 2011. The research did not provide evidence which could be used to draw robust conclusions about the take-up of individual subjects not included in the scope of the English baccalaureate.
	The research report can be viewed at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RB150
	Copies have already been placed in the House Libraries.
	We will continue to monitor the impact of the English baccalaureate on GCSE subject choices, including through review of GCSE entries in 2012.

Members: Correspondence

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to respond to the letter of 21 September 2011 from the hon. Member for South Northamptonshire.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 12 December 2011
	I replied on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), to my hon. Friend the Member for South Northamptonshire on 29 November.

Mothers: Young People

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of mothers aged 16 to 19 years were in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: Latest estimates from the Labour Force Survey show that 28.6% of teenage mothers aged 16 to 19 were in education, employment or training in 2010. The proportion of teenage mothers who are in education, employment or training has remained fairly stable since 1998.

Music Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the national music plan 
	(1)  how many hours of music tuition per term children in (a) Lambeth, (b) Liverpool and (c) Norwich receive through the In Harmony Sistema England programme; and what estimate he has made of the number of hours of such tuition per term they will receive in each of the next three years;
	(2)  how many children in (a) Lambeth, (b) Liverpool and (c) Norwich receive music tuition through the In Harmony Sistema England programme; and what estimate he has made of the number of children who will receive such tuition in each of the next three years;
	(3)  how much funding will be provided per child through the In Harmony Sistema England programme in (a) Lambeth, (b) Liverpool and (c) Norwich.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2011
	As set out in the national plan for music education, published on 25 November, In Harmony Sistema England is a specific and targeted part of the overall music education landscape. It is a social development programme offering children from deprived areas the opportunity to achieve their full potential through intensive music tuition and activity to raise aspirations and attainment.
	This year, the three projects are operating as follows:
	Lambeth: 418 children receive between 1.5 (in nursery) and 7.7 hours tuition each week. A further 50 children attend three to five hours of ensemble rehearsals per week.
	Liverpool: 143 children from ages four to 13 years receive between three and seven hours tuition each week.
	Norwich: 815 children receive at least one hour per week tuition in school from the In Harmony team, of whom 150 receive up to 8.5 hours of music tuition each week.
	Each project also provides opportunities to attend holiday classes; perform in concerts; and attend concerts given by professional orchestras. In this financial year, each project will receive £150,000 from the Department for Education, which is supplemented by additional funding from a variety of sources. The total cost per child is not, therefore, available centrally.
	With continuing funding from Government, augmented by matched funding from Arts Council for England, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has announced his intention to expand the programme. We are working with the Arts Council to agree the detail of this expansion and will make further announcements in the new year. We are therefore not yet in a position to say how many children will receive music tuition through In Harmony Sistema England. However, the national plan set out an ambitious programme for wider music education for all children, in particular that, in exchange for DfE funding, music education hubs will ensure that all children learn to play an instrument, and to play in ensembles, and have the chance to progress.

Music Education

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to the national music plan, how much funding has been allocated per child for music education in each local authority area in each of the three years from April 2012.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2011
	The funding allocations announced as part of the national plan for music education include a basic amount for every child, with an additional amount for pupils eligible for free school meals. This second factor is intended as a proxy for the additional costs of ensuring that all children receive a high quality music education. The following table shows the basic unit cost of music funding per pupil and the additional funding each area will receive per pupil who is eligible for free school meals.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Basic funding 8.99 7.75 7.89 
			 Deprivation funding 6.07 5.23 5.32 
		
	
	We shall place copies of individual allocations per pupil in each local authority area in the House Libraries.

Postcodes

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department uses postcodes for purposes other than the postage of mail.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education (DfE) uses postcodes to help uniquely identify suppliers on its finance and procurement system. Supplier records use postcodes to differentiate the supplier site name and this, together with a system of unique supplier numbers, is used to ensure payments are made to the correct supplier.

Primary Education: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to address the shortage of primary school places in Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 6 December 2011
	In this financial year £1.3 billion has been made available to fund school places in England. Peterborough's share in 2011-12 is £1.9 million. Furthermore, in his Autumn Statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that an additional £600 million will be provided to support the provision of school places. We are currently determining how to allocate this funding.
	Peterborough city council is responsible for managing the supply and demand for primary places; and ensuring a place for every child of statutory school age. We will continue to provide capital funding and monitor the situation with all local authorities to help ensure there are sufficient school places.

Schools

Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools of each (i) administrative type and (ii) religious designation in each area of the country he has visited since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has visited the following schools between May 2010 and 22 November 2011.
	
		
			 Schools Administrative type Religious designation 
			 18 Primary Schools 8 Community Schools 1 Jewish 
			  1 Foundation School 1 Roman Catholic 
			  2 Voluntary Aided Schools  
			  4 Converter Academies  
			  2 Free Schools 1 Sponsored Academy  
			    
			 33 Secondary Schools 9 Community Schools 4 Church of England 
			  4 Foundation Schools 1 Roman Catholic 
			  5 Voluntary Aided Schools  
			  1 Voluntary Controlled  
			  5 Converter Academies  
			  9 Sponsored Academies  
			    
			 3 all-through schools (primary and secondary provision) 3 Academies n/a 
			    
		
	
	
		
			 2 Special schools 2 maintained schools — 
			 n/a = Not applicable. 
		
	
	He has also visited two Further Education colleges.

Schools: Sports

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what long-term plans he has to promote a sustainable legacy for school sport post-2014; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Government believe that the best way to create a lasting legacy for school sport is to give schools the freedom to organise sport for themselves, rather than imposing a centralised Government blueprint. Schools are already required to provide physical education for all pupils and the National Curriculum review will strengthen the sport content of the subject. Additionally, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has made funds available to enable secondary schools to release a PE teacher for one day a week to increase opportunities for competitive sport for young people. This funding is in place for the two academic years 2011/12 and 2012/13. After then we expect schools to have embedded this work into their core provision.
	Alongside the significant investment from the Department of Health, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Sport England for the School Games, these measures will enable schools to provide more competitive sport as part of a rounded education.

Schools: Sports

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what legacy he expects school sports to receive from the London 2012 Olympics; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The education legacy of the London 2012 Games will be that a generation is inspired by, and embraces, the Olympic and Paralympic Values. This programme will encourage schools and pupils: to make a positive contribution; to be more outward looking within their communities, nationally and internationally; and to adopt healthy and active lifestyles, whether by participation in sport or through other activities. With support from the Department for Education, LOCOG is delivering a new Get Set programme called ‘Plan your 2012’, which is designed to help schools to plan and deliver Get Set activity in the lead up to the Games.

Special Educational Needs: Stoke on Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessments Ofsted has carried out of the specialist education service for deaf children in Stoke-on-Trent.

Tim Loughton: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM chief inspector, Miriam Rosen, has written to the hon. Member, and a copy of her response has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 29 November 2011
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Services for disabled children and those who have special educational needs were last evaluated by Ofsted in Stoke-on-Trent's Joint Area Review in 2008. This review-found that support services for children who have sensory impairment were good.
	The Joint Area Review programme ceased in 2008 and currently Ofsted does not specifically inspect support services for disabled children and those who have special educational needs.
	Ofsted does, however, inspect safeguarding services and services for looked after children in local authorities. These inspections focus on children in need of, and children who may be in need of, protection - including where appropriate children with disabilities and those with special education needs. A report on these services in Stoke on Trent was published in August 2011 and found that children and young people with disabilities were supported well overall, with good and improving levels of consultation with parents and carers.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.

Special Educational Needs: Visual Impairment

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department provides for partially sighted and blind pupils in (a) primary and (b) secondary education.

Sarah Teather: It is for individual schools and local authorities to decide what support services are needed by partially sighted and blind pupils. There are clear statutory duties in this area.
	Nationally, the Department for Education is funding Dyslexia Action and RNIB to make more than 650 texts available in electronic formats for blind pupils and those with significant difficulties reading. The Department also funds the National Sensory Impairment Partnership to support schools and local authorities to learn from each other and improve services.

Students: Finance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his Department’s estimate is of the total cost to the public purse of learners aged 19 years claiming Care to Learn at the start of their course if his Care to Learn policy remained unchanged in 2014-15.

Nick Gibb: It is not possible accurately to predict the cost in 2014-15 of payments to students aged 19 at the start of their course under the Care to Learn scheme, were it to remain unchanged, as this depends on the level of take-up from teenage parents. In 2010/11, around half of all planned payments under the Care to Learn scheme were to young parents aged 19 and over at the start of their course. We expect the number of teenage parents in education or training to rise as we move towards the raising of the participation age (to 18 in 2015), and the budget for Care to Learn is due to rise, to £44.7 million in 2014-15.

Teach First

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of graduates from each Russell Group university applied to the Teach First programme in each year since the programme's creation.

Nick Gibb: The following table shows the number of graduates (by cohort) applying to the Teach First programme from Russell Group universities, since the programme was founded.
	We are not able to present these figures as a proportion of the total graduates from each university as requested, because the Department for Education does not collect data on the numbers graduating from individual universities.
	
		
			 University 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 University of Birmingham 31 24 14 24 63 67 94 148 164 
			 University of Bristol 18 47 39 39 42 57 110 137 145 
			 University of Cambridge 119 79 64 74 75 114 147 222 241 
			 Cardiff University 20 16 5 11 10 31 42 65 86 
			 University of Edinburgh 42 56 41 59 54 70 97 79 93 
			 Imperial College London 67 50 52 36 52 36 79 106 90 
			 King's College London 37 23 25 24 28 28 44 68 80 
			 London School of Economics and Political Science 30 25 23 37 26 26 68 63 62 
			 University College London 60 38 24 48 29 52 104 118 131 
			 University of Leeds 33 27 27 54 46 60 94 172 267 
			 University of Liverpool 12 12 5 11 14 20 46 85 123 
			 University of Manchester 36 38 20 92 108 83 129 216 248 
			 Newcastle University 19 12 9 22 20 27 51 105 90 
			 University of Nottingham 56 51 44 44 74 123 152 194 189 
			 University of Oxford 132 95 122 127 110 148 212 226 282 
			 University of Sheffield 14 35 15 15 23 25 70 116 124 
			 University of Southampton 14 9 5 7 8 8 17 42 55 
			 University of Warwick 50 34 33 37 78 80 119 122 181 
			 University of Glasgow n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 9 34 22 
			 Queen's University Belfast n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 5 17 17

Teachers: E-mail Database

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he obtained the private e-mail addresses of teachers who had not provided that information to his Department to e-mail them about changes to their pensions on 24 November 2011.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 7 December 2011
	The e-mail addresses were obtained from the General Teaching Councils for England and Wales who shared the information under section 14 of the “Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998”.
	The data were reconciled by the administrator of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme against e-mail addresses already held by them, on the Department’s behalf, and that database was subsequently updated.
	The reconciled e-mail address database was used to communicate with teachers regarding the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Teachers: Training

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what is the greatest number of times a teacher trainee has had to re-sit the compulsory (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills test required for Qualified Teacher Status in the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many teachers retook the compulsory (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills test required for Qualified Teacher Status (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times, (v) five times, (vi) six times, (vii) seven times, (viii) eight times, (ix) nine times and (x) 10 or more times in the last year for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many teacher trainees who achieved Qualified Teacher Status had to re-sit the compulsory (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills test, (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times and (v) five or more times in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Gibb: The greatest number of times an individual has re-sat skills tests required for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) over multiple years is unavailable from centrally held data. The available information includes only the greatest number of re-sits by an individual in a single year, which is the following:
	(a) For literacy, 36 re-sits by a candidate in 2007/08
	(b) For numeracy, 39 re-sits by a candidate in 2006/07
	The number of teachers who re-sat the compulsory (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills test required for QTS (i) once, (ii) twice, (iii) three times, (iv) four times, (v) five times, (vi) six times, (vii) seven times, (viii) eight times, (ix) nine times and (x) 10 or more times in 2009/10 can be found in Table A. These figures represent the latest year for which data are available.
	Centrally held data do not currently allow the identification of the number of re-sits taken by teacher trainees who have also achieved QTS.
	
		
			 Table A: Number of teachers who retook the required QTS skills tests in 2009/10 by the number of times they were retaken 
			 Skills test Literacy Numeracy 
			 1 re-sit 4,140 3,120 
			 2 re-sits 1,300 1,330 
			 3 re-sits 540 700 
			 4 re-sits 400 430 
			 5 re-sits 130 250 
			 6 re-sits 80 200 
			 7 re-sits 60 120 
			 8 re-sits 20 70 
			 9 re-sits 30 60 
			 10+ re-sits 40 160 
			 Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 10. Source: TDA Specialist Website

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many letters he has received on funding for civil sector organisations within his Department's area of responsibility in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 in each month since 1 June 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The information is not held in the format requested. Identification of the number of letters received regarding funding for civil sector organisations would incur disproportionate costs.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department is having with the Government of Sudan on fulfilling its international and domestic legal obligations to allow humanitarian access to civilians fleeing Sudanese armed forces aerial bombardment in Sudan and South Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: We are deeply concerned by the ongoing conflicts in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile State. During my visit to Sudan in July I made very clear to the Government of Sudan their responsibility to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access, and the British embassy in Khartoum takes every opportunity to reiterate these points. We condemn the Sudanese armed forces’ indiscriminate aerial bombardments. We continue to make clear to the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement North that they must allow full humanitarian access to conflict affected areas immediately, and that there can be no military solution to their dispute. We hope that the Government of Sudan will take the opportunity of the planned visit of the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs later this month to resolve this issue in accordance with international norms and agreements.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the prospects for continuing insecurity along the border between Sudan and South Sudan of violence and human rights abuses and aerial bombardment in Blue Nile State and Darfur; and what steps he plans to take as a result of that assessment.

Henry Bellingham: We are greatly concerned at the continued insecurity along the Sudan and South Sudan border, as well as the violence in Blue Nile State. We urge both Governments quickly to resume discussions on the area to be covered by a safe demilitarized border zone, which they have already agreed to in principle, so that a border monitoring mission is able to deploy quickly. We strongly condemn unilateral, destabilising actions by any party.
	The situation in Darfur continues to be of serious concern. The signing of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur in July this year was a positive step, but violence continues. We now must see that agreement implemented, and are encouraging the Government of Sudan and the Liberation and Justice Movement, the signatories to the agreement, to move forward with implementation, and pressing other rebel movements to join the peace process.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the stability of the National Congress Party in Sudan of (a) recent uprisings in the Arab world, (b) Sudan's economic situation, (c) youth and opposition protest movements in Sudan and (d) the rising cost of food in Sudan.

Henry Bellingham: Some of the factors that have contributed to recent changes in the Arab world, such as a lack of freedom of democratic expression, are also found in Sudan. We encourage the Government of Sudan to undertake a process of inclusive reform based on dialogue with all parts of society. We equally urge groups currently engaged in armed conflict to seek political reform through peaceful negotiation.
	Following the South's secession, loss of oil revenue has reduced the ability of the Government of Sudan to respond to increasingly severe economic pressures, including the high food prices which have led to some popular protests. The efforts of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel to resolve outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan have our full support.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to further the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan by (a) pursuing a political solution that involves devolution of power to all regions, (b) engaging with all opposition parties without duress and (c) other means.

Henry Bellingham: We share the assessment of the African Union Peace and Security Council, as set out in its 30 November communiqué, that there must be a comprehensive approach to achieving peace, justice and reconciliation in Sudan, taking into account the longstanding governance problems in Sudan, especially the challenge of governing a diverse country in an equitable manner. We urge all parties in Sudan to seek such reform through peaceful negotiation and, in particular, the Government to open up a process of inclusive dialogue.

Syria: Politics and Government

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support he plans to provide to the Arab League in its efforts to bring an end to repression in Syria.

Alistair Burt: The British Government strongly support the Arab League in its efforts to increase the pressure on the Syrian regime to stop their violent repression.
	We commend its leadership within the international community and its recent unprecedented decision to impose sanctions on the Syrian regime. The UK has been at the forefront of action in the EU to impose sanctions. These stand alongside those introduced by the Arab League.
	We continue to support the Arab League's efforts and continue to work with partners in the international community to address the appalling situation in Syria.

TRANSPORT

Buses: Licensing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans she has to bring forward proposals to change the powers of the traffic commissioners to make checks on applicants for passenger carrying vehicle licences;
	(2)  whether she plans to require passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) drivers to undergo a Criminal Records Bureau check before a PCV licence can be granted;
	(3)  what steps she plans to take to check whether applicants for a passenger carrying vehicle licence have had a Hackney carriage or private hire licence refused or revoked by a local authority due to inappropriate behaviour.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to require passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) drivers to undergo a CRB check before a PCV licence can be granted, to alter the current application checking process or to change the existing powers of the traffic commissioners in respect of making checks for PCV licensing.

Capita

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts her Department has awarded to Capita since May 2010; and what the (a) purpose, (b) monetary value and (c) net worth was of each such contract.

Norman Baker: The Department of Transport has awarded 13 contracts to Capita since May 2010.
	
		
			 Department/agencies Purpose Monetary value (£) 
			 DFT(c) Programme Office Manager 64,500 
			  Programme Office Manager (extension 1) 79,000 
			  Programme Office Manager (extension 2) 12,190 
			  Interim Procurement Officer 35,400 
			    
			 DVLA Vehicle Excise Duty and Continuous Insurance enforcement and includes vehicle immobilisation, removal, storage, disposal and enforcement notice issuing services(1) 144,280,000 
			    
			 HA Project Support Framework (Consultancy) 2010-14—Type A Suppliers(1) (2)0 
			  A595 Parton to Lillyhall Improvement, Construction Supervision Duties 59,769 
			  TOS Training Framework Contract—Consultancy/Other(2) (3)0 
			  Project Support F/W: Areas 3, 6 and 8 Contract Document Preparation 324,522 
			  Project Support F/W: M40 J15 Commercial Consultancy Contract 150,000 
			  Project Support F/W: Lot 3 Asset Support Contract (Area 10) Procurement Support 104,702 
			  Project Support F/W: A14/A12 Copdock interchange and A14/A154 Dockspur roundabout improvements 722,555 
			  TOS Training Framework Contract—Mock Motorway Call-Off 23,946 
			 (1) The monetary value is £144,280,000 over seven years (includes option to extend year on year after five years). There is no net worth as this is a new contract which only started on 7 November 2011 (2) Project Support Framework (Consultancy) 2010-14—Type A Suppliers: This a multi-award framework with a pre-tender estimated value of £385,000,000 (3) TOS Training Framework Contract—Consultancy/Other: This is a multi-award framework with a pre-tender estimated value of £7,628,000.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many internal audits have taken place (a) in her Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which her Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The following table records the number of internal audits completed during the period 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011 for the Department for Transport, its executive agencies, trading funds and non-departmental public bodies.
	
		
			 Internal audit reports by entity, 1 November 2010 to 31 October 2011 
			 Entity Total 
			 Department for Transport 73 
		
	
	
		
			 British Transport Police Authority (1)10 
			 Directly Operated Railways Ltd 3 
			 Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency 70 
			 Driving Standards Agency 15 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 7 
			 High Speed Two Ltd (2)2 
			 Highways Agency 87 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 16 
			 Passenger Focus 5 
			 Renewable Fuels Agency (3)5 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 25 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 8 
			 (1) Includes internal audits conducted in the British Transport Police Force and the Authority. (2) The status of HS2 Ltd changed during 2010-11, which included a new requirement for internal audit services. Consequently, a full cycle of audit activity was not conducted for 2010-11. (3) RFA ceased to be a separate entity on 31 March 2011. Consequently, there is no audit activity in 2011-12. Note: The table covers internal audit activity only, and does not extend to compliance audits undertaken by quality assurance teams deployed in a number of agencies.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether food and catering services in (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Norman Baker: Within the Department for Transport on-site catering facilities are only available at the Department's headquarters building, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea and at the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) in Bedford. There are no specific plans to add calorie labelling to menus or display boards at the Department’s headquarters building or at the DVLA.
	The Driving Standards Agency's facilities management contractor, Interserve, are currently working with their suppliers to calculate the nutritional value of all foods. This will be presented on menus and display boards, where practicable, by mid 2012.
	The Department cannot identify the nutritional value of food purchased under other arrangements including as part of external room hire or conference packages.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the food and catering services in (a) her Department and (b) public bodies for which she is responsible are taking to ensure the countries of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Norman Baker: Within the Department for Transport on-site catering facilities are available only at the Department's headquarters building, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Swansea and at the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) in Bedford. There are no specific plans to add country of origin information to menus or display boards at the Department’s headquarters building or at the DVLA.
	The Driving Standards Agency's facilities management contractor, Interserve, does not currently include the requested information on menus and display boards; however they are working with their supplier to achieve this, where practicable, by mid-2012.
	The Department cannot identify the country of origin of food purchased under other arrangements including as part of external room hire or conference packages.

Procurement

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for her Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate she has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for her Department in 2011-12.

Norman Baker: The cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for my Department and its Agencies was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 10.26 
			 2009-10 10.70 
			 2010-11 9.68 
		
	
	The estimated cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for my Department and its Agencies in 2011-12 is:
	(i) £8.20 million
	(ii) £3.17 million
	It should be noted that the figures for 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 do not include consultancy spend, and so are not comparable with the combined 2011-12 figures.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports her Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Norman Baker: The only data that are readily available from the central department DFT (c) is in relation to the number of different items produced in the period. This is broken down by: (a) leaflets = 100 (b) posters = 18 (c) reports = 33. However, I regret to say that further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to ensure social value is included when services are commissioned by (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The Department aims to take into account social value considerations during procurement if and where they are relevant to the requirement, where consideration is in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations and the European Treaty Principles of Equality of Treatment, Transparency and Freedom of Movement and where they can be applied in a proportionate, non-discriminatory manner. Socio-economic considerations are appropriately reviewed in the pre-procurement phase when making project investment decisions.
	The growth review considered the role of social value in contract award criteria. The review confirmed that value for money remained the overriding factor when awarding public sector contracts. Value for money assessments could and should include relevant socio-economic considerations where it was appropriate in delivering on certain contracts.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which her Department is responsible; and if she will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The public bodies for which the Department for Transport is responsible all hold organisational risk registers. The only exception is the Disabled Persons' Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), which is a relatively small non-departmental public body, with a primarily advisory role. The Department does however hold an information management risk register for DPTAC.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what secondments there have been to her Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Norman Baker: For the central Department our records show that four people entered the Department on secondment since May 2010. Highways Agency Records show one person entered the agency on secondment since May 2010. Owing to the small number of individuals involved we are unable to provide further information as individuals could be identified.
	Our Agencies—Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency and Vehicle and Operator Service Agency—do not have any secondments, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency does not hold central records, so this information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Norman Baker: So far in the 2010-12 Session, Department for Transport Ministers have answered 3,031 ordinary written questions within 10 sitting days of tabling, 513 within 11 to 20 sitting days, none within 21 to 30 sitting days, and 29 more than 30 sitting days after tabling.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Electric Vehicles

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding her Department provides to assist the development of electric cars.

Norman Baker: The Government have made provision of over £400 million for measures to promote the uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicle technologies, including electric cars. These measures include support for consumer incentives, development of recharging infrastructure, and a programme of research, development and demonstration projects.

EU Fuel Quality Directive

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion of 28 November 2011, Official Report, column 649W, on EU fuel quality directive, what meetings Ministers in her Department had with non-governmental organisations to discuss the EU fuel quality directive.

Norman Baker: Department for Transport Ministers have had numerous meetings with a variety of national and international environmental and social non-governmental organisations to discuss the fuel quality directive, including:
	Greenpeace;
	Action Aid;
	Royal Society for the Protection of Birds;
	World Wide Fund for Nature; and
	Friends of the Earth.
	Ministers and officials will continue to meet with non-governmental organisations on this issue as necessary.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her policy is on constructing a tunnel through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as part of her proposed High Speed 2 scheme.

Justine Greening: No decisions have been taken yet. As I said in my statement, I have concluded that I should allow myself until early in 2012 to announce my decision in order to ensure this is based on careful consideration of all relevant factors.

Metal Theft

David Rutley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministerial colleagues on reducing metal theft from (a) railways and (b) motorways.

Norman Baker: I have had a number of discussions with ministerial colleagues from the Home Office and other Departments about metal theft and options for tackling this. These discussions have covered the impact of theft on railways, motorways, and other transport modes, as well as other sectors of the economy.
	We are examining as a matter of urgency not only whether there are additional steps we can take within existing legislation to crack down on theft, but also whether there may be a case for some proportionate additional regulation of the scrap metal industry, where much of the stolen material currently ends up.
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), in his autumn statement on 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, announced that we will invest £5 million to set up a nationwide taskforce to target metal thieves and scrap metal dealers who illegally trade in stolen metal.

Motor Vehicles: Fuels

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps her Department is taking to encourage increased fuel efficiency in new cars.

Norman Baker: The Government's Carbon Plan was published on 1 December 2011 and sets out our overall strategy for reducing carbon emissions, including in the transport sector where increased fuel efficiency of new cars (and vans) is a major policy focus. The Carbon Plan is available here:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4&filepath=11%2ftackling-climate-change%2fcarbon-plan%2f3702-the-carbon-plan-delivering-our-low-carbon-future.pdf#basket
	The main policy levers for delivering improvements to new car efficiency are the EU new car CO2 regulation; consumer information, including the new car fuel efficiency label; and fiscal levers which, while primarily aimed at securing the public finances, can help to reduce emissions. In addition, the uptake of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) will over time reduce the overall dependence of the fleet on fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions. As set out in the Carbon Plan in detail, Government have made provision for over £400 million support for ULEV uptake, covering consumer incentives, support for charging infrastructure trials and Research, Development and Demonstration.

Network Rail

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's Structural Reform Monthly Implementation Plan, what progress she has made on developing and publishing a sustainable railway strategy including reform of Network Rail.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement on this subject, laid before the House on 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 42WS.

Network Rail: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress Ministers in her Department have made on making Network Rail more accountable to its customers.

Theresa Villiers: The Government have a commitment to make Network Rail properly accountable to its customers.
	On 15 November the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), announced her intention to publish early next year a Command Paper that sets out detailed proposals to deliver a sustainable and better value railway, including proposals affecting Network Rail.

Office of Rail Regulation

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to section 30 of the Coalition Agreement, what progress she has made in turning the Office of Rail Regulation into a powerful passenger champion.

Theresa Villiers: The Government and the Office of Rail Regulation will shortly consult on the scope to transfer and case for transferring certain powers and functions relating to the protection of passenger interests from the Department for Transport to the regulator.

Railway Stations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations she and her predecessor visited on departmental business in the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), and ministerial colleagues visit railway stations on a regular basis, whether as a specific visit or incidentally as part of ministerial travel.

Railways: Buckinghamshire

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects work on the east-west rail link between Oxford and Milton Keynes to (a) begin and (b) be completed.

Theresa Villiers: Work on the east-west rail link requires prior agreement of a appropriate local contribution to the cost of the project and confirmation of a satisfactory business case. If this is concluded in July 2012 as currently envisaged, the East West Rail Consortium proposes planning work to commence immediately, with physical work commencing in 2015 or earlier, and completion in 2017.

Railways: Electrification

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement that the Transpennine Express line will be electrified between Manchester and Leeds, whether her Department plans to request Network Rail to draw up a business case for the further electrification of that railway service between Middlesbrough station and the East Coast Main Line at Northallerton.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 12 December 2011
	I intend to ask Network Rail to establish the cost and whether there is a business case for electrification of the line between Northallerton and Middlesbrough.

Railways: Fares

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to section 30 of the coalition agreement on rail pricing, what steps her Department has taken in respect of its commitment to fair pricing for rail travel.

Theresa Villiers: This Government recognise the serious concern about rail fares—that is why we secured the funding to keep the increase in average regulated rail fares to an average of RPI+1% for 2012.

Railways: Mobile Phones

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it a condition of any new rail franchises that train operators must cooperate with mobile telephone operators to ensure improved mobile network coverage on trains.

Theresa Villiers: Bidders for new franchises will be expected to consider whether wi-fi and specific mobile telephone service provision should be continued or introduced on fleets or routes.

Railways: Standards

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will consider inserting clauses into rail franchise agreements requiring companies to communicate effectively with passengers during times of disruption.

Theresa Villiers: Passengers should be able to expect consistently reliable and up-to-date information from train operating companies so that they can sensibly plan and make their journeys.
	The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has recently set out its intention to underpin the rail industry's initiatives for providing appropriate, accurate and timely information for passengers during disruption.
	Further details can be found at:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.10724
	We are supportive of this approach to the issue.

Rescue Services

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the nature is of the activity to be carried out at coastguard coastal operations hubs; and how many new jobs she expects to be created at such hubs.

Michael Penning: holding answer 12 December 2011
	A coastguard coastal operations hub will be located in each of the 18 coastal areas and will be the focus for the management of the volunteer coastguard rescue teams (CRTs) in that area. The hub will house a coastal operations team leader who will be responsible for, and lead, a team of four or five coastal safety officers who will be stationed throughout the area. Each coastal safety officer will be responsible for the management and training of four to five volunteer CRTs.
	In some areas it may be practicable to house one or more of the coastal safety officers and a volunteer CRT at the hub.
	The following table sets out the existing and proposed coastal operations arrangement. The increase in posts will be 25, spread across the 18 hubs.
	
		
			 Coastal operations 
			  Number 
			 Existing  
			 Coastal Safety Manager 9 
			 Sector Manager 64 
			 Resilience Manager 3 
			 Counter Pollution 3 
			 London Manager 1 
			 Total 80 
			   
			 Proposed  
			 Coastal Safety Managers 6 
			 Coastal Operations Team Leaders 18 
			 Coastal Safety Officers 78 
			 Counter Pollution 3 
			 Total 105 
		
	
	The figures do not include volunteers who make up the CRTs.

Rescue Services: Liverpool

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what coastguard operation activities she expects to be continued by the Maritime Coastguard Agency at its Liverpool site.

Michael Penning: holding answer 12 December 2011
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency site at Liverpool will continue to provide a maritime and coastal emergency response and co-ordination function until the closure of the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre. The volunteer coastguard rescue team; counter-pollution and salvage; survey and inspection; and the associated administrative functions currently carried out at the site will continue when the rescue co-ordination function ends.
	In accordance with the ministerial announcement made on 22 November 2011, it is intended to establish one of the 18 coastal operations hubs at the Liverpool site.

Rescue Services: Wales

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes there have been in staffing levels at each coastguard station in Wales since May 2010.

Michael Penning: The following table shows the difference in full-time equivalent (FTE) employed at each Welsh Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) in May 2010 and October 2011.
	
		
			 FTE 
			 Organisation 1 May 2010 31 October 2011 Change 
			 Holyhead MRCC 22.00 23.00 1.00 
			 Milford Haven MRCC 24.00 23.00 -1.00 
			 Swansea MRCC 27.00 22.00 -5.00 
			 Grand total 73.00 68.00 -5.00

Road Traffic: Olympic Games 2012

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's Structural Reform Monthly Implementation Plan, what progress has been made on providing powers for improved traffic management procedures during the London 2012 Olympics.

Norman Baker: The Department's business plan contains a commitment to provide powers through DCMS's Olympics Bill for improved traffic management procedures during the Olympics by December 2011. I am pleased to confirm that the Bill has now completed its parliamentary stages, and will receive Royal Assent before the House rises for the Christmas recess. The relevant provisions will come into force two months later.

Roadworks

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's Structural Reform Monthly Implementation Plan, for what reason work on reforming management of roadworks to increase maximum penalty charges for works which overrun their agreed period has not been completed.

Norman Baker: We inherited plans to raise overrun charges to £25,000 per day from the previous Government. This Government are committed to reducing the burden of regulation on business, and we are examining the proposals to ensure they are proportionate and comply with better regulation principles. I expect to make an announcement early in the new year.

Roadworks

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to her Department's Structural Reform Monthly Implementation Plan, what progress she has made on reforming management of roadworks to finalise regulations enabling new lane rental schemes.

Norman Baker: Our consultation on draft regulations and guidance about lane rental closed on 31 October and we are now working to finalise the proposals. I expect to make an announcement in the new year.

Swanland: North Wales

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has made on its investigation into the sinking of the Swanland near the North Wales coast; and when she expects its report to be published.

Michael Penning: Marine Accident Investigation Branch inspectors have been making good progress with their investigation of this tragic accident which has claimed six lives. They have interviewed the two survivors, as well as the master of a nearby ship that answered the mayday call. A number of interviews have also been conducted with involved parties including the coastguard, the search and rescue units, the ship's agent, and the local police, and these are ongoing. Excellent co-operation has also been received from representatives of the Cook Islands, which is the vessel's flag state.
	The wreck of the vessel has been located and an underwater survey using remotely-operated vehicles will be conducted as soon as practicable.
	MAIB's report is expected to be published in summer 2012.

Thameslink Railway Signals

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations her Department has received on signal failures on the Thameslink line north of London on 7, 11 and 23 November 2011.

Norman Baker: The Department has received three representations, two from the right hon. Member for Hitchin and Harpenden (Mr Lilley), and one from the hon. Member for St Albans (Mrs Main).

Transport: North-east England

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has for future investment in transport infrastructure in the north-east including on the (a) A1, (b) A66, (c) A19 and (d) Tyne tunnel.

Norman Baker: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced in his autumn statement on 29 November 2011, Official Report, columns 799-810, a number of transport infrastructure investments which will benefit the north-east, including the electrification of the northern Transpennine rail route which will improve journey times and the reliability of services between Liverpool and Newcastle. In addition, the Chancellor announced the bringing forward of some of the £350 million funding allocated for the Tyne and Wear Metro Improvement Programme to 2011-12, reflecting the good progress which Nexus is making in its renewal programme.
	On local transport, investment will continue to be made through integrated transport block which, for local authorities in the north-east, totals £129 million for the period 2011-12 to 2012-13—£87 million for highways maintenance and £42 million for small transport improvement schemes. This will be enhanced by the £50 million additional funding for all councils which was announced in the autumn statement, recognising the vital role that transport plays in local economies. We have also recently given local authorities the opportunity to bid for a number of newly announced funds, including the third round of the green bus fund and the new better bus areas fund, which together amount to an additional £70 million worth of funding.
	Local authorities in the north-east have also been successful in securing awards from the first round of the £560 million local sustainable transport fund. Redcar and Cleveland, Durham and Darlington councils and the Tyne and Wear ITA have secured investment totalling £12.5 million for sustainable transport schemes which will help support growth and cut carbon. The ITA and other local authorities in Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley are at an advanced stage of developing bids for investment from the second round of the fund, which the Department will consider in the new year.
	Transport schemes in the north-east have also been successful in attracting support from the regional growth fund. Subject to due diligence, RGF awards will support a number of transport-related port developments as well as a scheme to significantly improve access to Newcastle station.
	Tyne tunnel
	The £260 million new Tyne tunnel opened in February this year after 28 months of construction. The old tunnel has been refurbished so that by the end of 2011, both tunnels will be open carrying two lanes of traffic in each direction, providing faster journey times at this key regional crossing. The £6 million refurbishment of the pedestrian tunnel is ongoing, enabling improved transport options for pedestrians and cyclists.
	Highways
	The 2010 comprehensive spending review detailed the Government’s investment decisions for major road projects on the strategic road network, which included the A1 Leeming to Barton. An additional 18 schemes, including the A19 Testos and the A19/A1058 Coast road junction, were identified for delivery in future spending review periods, subject to statutory processes, value for money and affordability. There are no current plans for major investment on the A66.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Biofuels

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he has on the level of radioactivity of fly ash residue consequent upon burning wood in biomass power plants; what assessment he has made of the (a) locations and (b) mechanisms of its subsequent safe disposal; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I have been asked to reply.
	The Environment Agency advises that levels of radioactivity in fly ash from the burning of uncontaminated wood are low; therefore no radiological assessments are necessary to ensure its safe disposal. Sites for the treatment and disposal of fly ash residue require a permit from the Environment Agency to ensure protection of the environment and human health.

Departmental Secondment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff in his Department are seconded from (a) private sector energy companies and (b) non-governmental organisations, charities and other voluntary organisations dealing with climate change and the environment.

Gregory Barker: There are currently 32 people who are seconded to the Department of Energy and Climate Change. The details of the organisations that they are seconded from and the business area that they are currently working in is shown as follows.
	
		
			 Organisation seconded from DECC group DECC directorate Number of people 
			 Bright Futures NZ Ltd Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
			 Cambridge University Strategy and Evidence Group CSA—Private Office and Director 1 
			 Carbon Trust Strategy and Evidence Group Energy Innovation Policy 8 
			 ConocoPhillips (UK) Ltd Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Development 1 
			 Deloitte LLP Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
			 Elexon Ltd Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
			 Energus Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Nuclear Development 1 
			 Energy People Ltd Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
			 Environment Agency Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Nuclear Development 2 
			 KPMG LLP Energy Markets and Infrastructure Commercial 1 
			 Living With Environmental Change (Fellowship Placement) Strategy and Evidence Group Science and Innovation 1 
			 London Development Agency International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Heat and Industry 1 
			 Mount Wellington Mine Ltd International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Heat and Industry 1 
			 National Audit Office International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Energy Efficiency Deployment Office 1 
			 National Audit Office Operations Group Finance and Procurement 1 
			 National Grid Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
			 National Grid Energy Markets and Infrastructure International, EU and Energy Security 1 
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Nuclear Development 1 
			 Ofgem Energy Markets and Infrastructure Energy Markets and Networks 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Ofgem Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Renewable Energy Deployment 2 
			 Pinsent Mason LLP Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Nuclear Development 2 
			 Policy Studies Institute Strategy and Evidence Group Strategy Inc Committee on Climate Change 1 
			 Rolls Royce Energy Markets and Infrastructure Office for Nuclear Development 1

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Gregory Barker: The details of the number of people who have been seconded to the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) since May 2010 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Organisation  seconded f rom Directorate Group Duration (years) 
			 Bright Futures NZ Ltd Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.76 
			 ConocoPhillips (UK) Ltd Energy Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 1.00 
			 Costain Ltd Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.18 
			 Deloitte LLP Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 1.64 
			 EDF Science and Innovation Strategy and Evidence Group 0.48 
			 Elexon Ltd Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.25 
			 Energus Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.51 
			 Energy People Ltd Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 2.00 
			 EnergySolutions Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.89 
			 Environment Agency Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.50 
			 Environment Agency Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 3.92 
			 Ernst and Young Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.22 
			 GEN II Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.25 
			 KPMG LLP Commercial Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.50 
			 Mount Wellington Mine Ltd Heat and Industry International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 0.50 
			 National Audit Office Energy Efficiency Deployment Office International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 1.50 
			 National Audit Office Finance and Procurement Operations Group 1.22 
			 National Grid Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.49 
			 National Grid Energy Strategy and Futures/Electricity Market Reform Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.74 
			 National Grid International, EU and Energy Security Energy Markets and Infrastructure 2.00 
			 Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 1.00 
			 Office of Rail Regulation Office for Renewable Energy Deployment Energy Markets and Infrastructure 3.00 
			 Ofgem Office for Renewable Energy Deployment Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.06 
			 Ofgem Office for Renewable Energy Deployment Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.06 
			 Ofgem Office for Renewable Energy Deployment Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.08 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 0.52 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 0.63 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 0.83 
			 Ofgem Energy Markets and Networks Energy Markets and Infrastructure 1.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Fuel Poverty and Smart Meters International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Green Deal International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Ofgem Green Deal International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Ofgem Green Deal International Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2.00 
			 Pinsent Mason LLP Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.67 
			 Pinsent Mason LLP Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.58 
			 Policy Studies Institute Strategy Inc Committee on Climate Change Strategy and Evidence Group 0.67 
			 Rolls-Royce Office for Nuclear Development Energy Markets and Infrastructure 0.50 
		
	
	The purpose of the secondment and whether it was to a policy development role is not held centrally. To obtain this information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Energy: Prices

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the cost of gas and electricity for each income decile of applying the Energy Company Obligation levy to energy bills on a sliding scale based on the amount of energy consumed rather than as a flat rate.

Gregory Barker: The ECO requires energy suppliers to achieve outcomes but primary powers do not include scope to specify how energy suppliers raise the funds required.
	The assumption underlying the distributional analysis of the impact on energy bills presented in the Draft Impact Assessment is that the Energy Company Obligation levy is recouped by energy suppliers on a per household basis. However, Annex H of the Impact Assessment includes a qualitative assessment of the possible impacts of different approaches to the allocation of ECO targets. The assessment is available here:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/green-deal/3603-green-deal-eco-ia.pdf

Fuel Poverty: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the level of fuel poverty in Birmingham.

Gregory Barker: In 2009, the most recent year for which data are available, an estimated 116,000 households, or 29% of the population, in Birmingham local authority were fuel poor.

Fuel Poverty: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people living in fuel poverty in Birmingham.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government are committed to tackling fuel poverty and supporting vulnerable consumers to heat their homes at an affordable cost.
	The warm home discount scheme will provide over 600,000 of the poorest pensioners with a Core Group discount of £120 off their electricity bills this winter. Other low income vulnerable households may also be assisted through the scheme. Overall we expect 2 million low income vulnerable households a year to be assisted through the warm home discount scheme.
	We continue to fund the Warm Front scheme, providing low income vulnerable households, living in energy inefficient properties, with energy efficient heating and insulation measures. Since 2005 Warm Front has assisted 42,719 households in Birmingham.
	In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions provide pensioner households with winter fuel payments to help with additional heating costs during the winter. Cold weather payments are also made to low income and vulnerable households where there is an average temperature of 0°C or below for seven consecutive days. These payments have been permanently increased to £25 per week and in winter 2010-11 over 17 million cold weather payments were paid in Great Britain these were worth an estimated £430 million.

Natural Gas

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of homes do not have access to the gas network in (a) Winchester constituency and (b) England.

Charles Hendry: Data on the number of households by constituency without access to the gas network are not available.
	An estimate of the number of households off the gas grid at Government Office region and national level can be derived using data from the English Housing Survey (EHS), produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). In 2009, based on the EHS, there were around 452,000 households in the South East that did not have access to the gas network. This represents around 13% of all households in that region. In England, around 2.9 million households did not have access to the gas network, representing around 13% of all households in England.

Natural Gas

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) letters and (b) e-mails his Department has received on gas security in the last 12 months.

Charles Hendry: We do not keep specific data on the number of letters and e-mails received on energy security matters. This means that the information requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) letters and (b) e-mails he has received on shale gas extraction in England in the last 12 months.

Charles Hendry: The Department's central register of correspondence does not list the specific addressee, but I can confirm that, during the last 12 months, DECC has responded to approximately 180 letters and e-mails relating to shale gas.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on shale gas and oil in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on shale gas and oil in Scotland.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers are in regular contact with the devolved Administrations across a wide range of issues.

Natural Gas: Exploration

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) letters, (b) e-mails and (c) telephone calls his Department has received on shale oil and gas in the last 12 months.

Charles Hendry: The Department's correspondence unit has responded to approximately 180 letters and e-mails relating to shale gas in the last 12 months. As far as the number of e-mails or letters received on shale oil and gas received by individuals, this information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. No record of the subject of incoming telephone calls is held within the Department.

Fuel Poverty: Older People

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure elderly and vulnerable people do not suffer ill health or die as a result of severe weather in the winter of 2011-12.

Gregory Barker: The coalition Government are committed to tackling fuel poverty and supporting vulnerable consumers to heat their homes at an affordable cost.
	This year is the first year of the mandatory Warm Home Discount scheme, which will provide over 600,000 of the poorest pensioners with a Core Group discount of £120 off their electricity bills this winter. Other low income vulnerable households may also be assisted through the scheme. Overall we expect 2 million low income vulnerable households a year to be assisted through the Warm Home Discount scheme.
	We continue to fund the Warm Front scheme, providing low income vulnerable households, living in energy inefficient properties, with energy efficient heating and insulation measures. We are also requiring suppliers to provide energy efficiency measures to low income vulnerable households through the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target, Super Priority Group.
	In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions provide pensioner households with winter fuel payments to help with additional heating costs during the winter.
	Cold weather payments are also made to low income and vulnerable households where there is an average temperature of 0°C or below for seven consecutive days. These payments have been permanently increased to £25 per week and in winter 2010-11 over 17 million cold weather payments were paid in Great Britain worth an estimated £430 million.
	We are also working closely with the Department of Health on their cold weather plan, which aims to avoid the adverse health effects of winter by raising public awareness and triggering actions by those in contact with people most at risk. The plan sets out what needs to happen before and during periods of severe winter weather in England, and builds on established national and local campaigns for winter health with a more co-ordinated approach. The plan will work through a system of cold weather alerts, linked to the existing winter weather warning system developed by the Met Office, in operation from 1 November to 31 March.

Wind Power: Powys

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions his Department has had with (a) Powys county council and (b) the Welsh Assembly Government on planning applications for wind farms in Powys.

Charles Hendry: The Department is currently dealing with six applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for wind farms in Powys (“the S36 applications”) where Powys county council (“Powys CC”) is the relevant planning authority for the purposes of that Act. Therefore the Department has regular communication with Powys CC to monitor the progress of the applications while it awaits Powys CC response to them. In particular, I have recently been in communication with Powys CC in connection with the deadline for their responses to the S36 applications.
	The Welsh Government have been consulted on all of the S36 applications. Their representations in respect of the S36 applications will be taken into consideration when the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), makes his decision on them.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many of the 140 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on the banding structure supported (a) the retention of a four-band structure, (b) a three-band structure and (c) a two band structure;
	(2)  how many of the 70 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on class of travel supported (a) premium economy passengers to be liable for reduced rate and (b) premium economy passengers to remain liable for standard rate;
	(3)  how many of the 70 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on class of travel supported seats with 40-inch seat pitch and less being liable for the reduced rate.

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many of the 140 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on the banding structure supported (a) the retention of a four-band structure, (b) a three-band structure and (c) a two- band structure;
	(2)  how many of the 70 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on class of travel called for seats with 40 inch seat pitch and less to be liable for the reduced rate.

Paul Maynard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the 140 responders to the Government's consultation on the reform of air passenger duty who commented on the banding structure called for (a) the retention of a four-band structure, (b) a three-band structure and (c) a two- band structure.

Chloe Smith: The Government decided not to change the air passenger duty (APD) bands as doing so would lead to an increase in APD for 91% of passengers. The APD consultation received 136 responses to the question on banding structure. Of this total, 77 supported a move to two distance bands, eight supported retaining the existing four-band structure and a further eight advocated moving to a three-band structure. A further 43 discussed the question and suggested other alternatives. Supporters of the two-band option argued that it would generate fewer anomalies and be simpler for passengers to understand and airlines to administer. Those in favour of the current four-bands or a system based on more distance bands argued that it would be fairer. However, there was no agreement on the composition of these bands.
	The APD consultation received 70 responses to the question on class of travel. Of this total, 54 supported a reclassification of premium economy while 11 favoured retaining the existing rules. A further five respondents discussed the issue but offered no clear preference. Most of those who wanted premium economy to be taxed at the reduced rate advocated the use of a 40-inch seat pitch definition.
	The Government considered this evidence carefully. A revenue neutral change to the current banding structure would have required those flying to band A and band B destinations (91% of passengers) to pay more. The Government therefore decided to retain the existing four APD distance bands.
	It was clear from consultation responses on class of travel that premium economy products vary significantly between airlines. Any attempt to define premium economy for taxation purposes would increase the complexity of the tax, increasing the burdens for both industry and HMRC. A definition based on seat pitch would inevitably discriminate between similar products offered by different airlines.

Bank Levy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the merits of re-introducing a bank payroll tax; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The bank payroll tax was introduced in the last Parliament as a one-off, interim measure ahead of changes in remuneration practices from corporate governance and regulatory reforms.
	The Government have introduced a permanent bank levy to ensure that the banking sector makes a fair contribution to reflect the potential risk to the UK financial system and wider UK economy. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), recently announced an increase in the levy rate from 1 January 2012, with resulting revenues for the life of this Parliament expected to exceed £10 billion. The levy is expected to raise more every year from the banking sector than the net revenue from the one-off bank payroll tax.

Building Societies Act 1986

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he has any plans to carry out a review of the Building Societies Act 1986;
	(2)  whether he has any plans to bring forward proposals to increase the deceased investors' limit as defined in the provisions of the Building Societies Act 1986;
	(3)  whether he has any plans to bring forward proposals to amend section (a) 9A and (b) 9B of the Building Societies Act 1986.

Mark Hoban: The Treasury keeps building societies legislation under review. The Government are committed to assessing whether changes are required to update building societies legislation. Amendments to section 9B of the Building Societies Act are being made as part of the Financial Services Bill that is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny in Parliament.

Business: Solar Power

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what support the Government offer to banks holding loans by companies engaged in the solar panel business not to foreclose on these businesses.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 5 December 2011
	The Government are not offering any specific support to banks holding loans by companies engaged in the solar panel business.
	The Government are supporting lending to small and medium-sized businesses through:
	a commitment announced on 9 February 2011 from the UK's biggest high street banks to lend £190 billion of new credit to businesses in 2011, with £76 billion of this lending to SMEs; and
	a package of credit-easing measures announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on 29 November, comprising a National Loan Guarantee Scheme of up to £20 billion of guarantees for bank funding to lower the cost of loans to smaller businesses; and a new Business Finance Partnership, initially of £1 billion, to deliver additional finance to mid-sized businesses through non-bank lending channels.

Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he had with (a) the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and (b) industry stakeholders on the reallocation of funding for carbon capture and storage.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers meet with a wide range of other Ministers and organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policymaking process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
	The Government have already made clear that £1 billion is available to support the commercialisation of CCS.

Carbon Sequestration: Finance

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide support for the development of a commercial-scale carbon capture and storage project in each year to 2015.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 7 December 2011
	The Government have made clear that £1 billion remains available to support the commercialisation of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The final profile of spending on CCS will be determined when projects have come forward following the competition next year.

Cash Dispensing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to require banks to provide unrestricted cash machine use for basic bank account holders.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to ensuring that individuals are able to access an appropriate range of financial products and services.
	Decisions on the products and services offered by individual banks are a commercial matter for the institution concerned.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Chloe Smith: HMT’s catering subcontractor has no plans to introduce calorie labelling.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Chloe Smith: HMT’s catering subcontractor does not currently show the country of origin of foods on their menus and display boards. However, the subcontractor is a member of the Red Tractor Scheme and all produce certified by the scheme is clearly labelled on display boards.

Child Benefit

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what support he plans to give to families who will be ineligible to receive child benefit following the introduction of his planned changes.

Chloe Smith: Child benefit will be withdrawn from families including a higher rate taxpayer from January 2013. The policy will be administered through the tax system using existing systems and processes. Affected families are within the top 20% of the incomes of all families (including those without children). Currently the threshold for a higher rate taxpayer is around £42,500. At a time when many difficult decisions have to be taken, it is not fair that people on low incomes go on being taxed to pay for the child benefit of those earning much more.

Debit Cards and Credit Cards: Fees and Charges

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take following the Office of Fair Trading's recommendations on Which?'s super-complaint on retailers' surcharges for paying by credit or debit card; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 8 December 2011, Official Report, column 407W.

Departmental Communications

Pete Wishart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) press officers, (b) internal communications officers, (c) external communications officers, (d) communications strategy officers and (e) other positions with a communications remit were employed by (i) his Department, (ii) its agencies and (iii) each non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Chloe Smith: In accordance with the Government's Transparency agenda, HM Treasury's departmental organogram is available online at:
	http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?pubbod=hm-treasury&post=19678
	This includes details of the number of people employed in communications roles.
	The UK Debt Management Office currently employs two press officers; the roles take up approximately half of each of their time.
	The Asset Protection Agency currently employs one individual with a communications remit.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1022W, on food, when his Department's current catering contract comes up for renewal; and whether the new contract will state that the Government's buying standards for food and catering must be met.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury's catering services at 1 HGR are supplied by a sub-contractor to the PFI provider. The contract expires in July 2014. HMT will ensure that the new contract references the Government's buying standards for food and catering as far as possible within the new contract.

Departmental Pay

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any senior staff in (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary; and if he will publish his policy on such payments.

Chloe Smith: No senior staff in HM Treasury or its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are paid by means of payments to a limited company in lieu of a salary.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Chloe Smith: The full information requested is not available. In the current Session Treasury Ministers have responded substantively within 10 days to 3,484 of the 3,775 (92%) of ordinary written questions tabled to the Treasury.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide this information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments’ performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the administrative burden on businesses in seaside towns of the introduction of machine games duty;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of machine games duty on domestic seaside tourism;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect of machine games duty on levels of investment in seaside towns by businesses.

Chloe Smith: The latest assessment of the impact of machine games duty on individuals and businesses, as well as on administrative burdens faced by gaming machine operators, is available in the Tax Information and Impacts Note published on 6 December together with draft legislation for machine games duty. This publication is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/machine_games_duty.pdf
	The detailed tax impact on, and within, specific gambling sectors will be estimated after MGD rates are set.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on machine games duty.

Chloe Smith: Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the usual policy making process. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Gift Aid

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has any plans to provide further incentives for use of the gift aid scheme.

Chloe Smith: Budget 2011 announced a significant package of reforms to encourage charitable giving, including new measures on gift aid. These included raising the gift aid benefit limit from £500 to £2,500 and a gift aid small donations scheme, so that charities can claim a gift aid style payment when collecting small donations and where circumstances for collecting the necessary donor details are difficult. The Government are also committed to reducing the administrative burdens on charities through the introduction of an online filing system for making gift aid claims and supporting the charity sector in developing a gift aid database.
	The Government keep all taxes and reliefs under review, and any changes are announced at Budget.

Inflation: Families

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to mitigate the effect on families of the current rate of inflation.

Chloe Smith: The Government are taking action to mitigate the effect on families of the current rate of inflation. In particular, the personal allowance for under-65s will increase faster than inflation to £8,105 in 2012-13. Working-age benefits will be uprated in line with September’s CPI inflation rate of 5.2%, including the disability elements of tax credits and the child element of the child tax credit. The 3.02 pence per litre fuel duty increase that was due to take effect on 1 January 2012 will be deferred to 1 August 2012, and the inflation increase that was planned for 1 August 2012 will be cancelled. In addition, the Government have set aside an extra £675 million for local authorities in England who freeze or reduce their council tax in 2012-13.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will include small businesses in his pilot of real-time PAYE information.

David Gauke: The employers involved in the pilot are volunteers and have been chosen to be a representative group of organisations operating PAYE. They range in size and complexity from those with one employee to very large complex employers with many employees or pensioners. The group of pilot employers includes small employers.

Poverty: Children

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of his changes to child and working tax credits, child benefit and access to child care on (a) farming and (b) rural households;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of his changes to child and working tax credits, child benefit and access to child care on levels of rural poverty.

Chloe Smith: The budget deficit inherited from the previous Government has meant that some very difficult choices have had to be made. The Government have been clear that they see reducing this deficit as their most urgent task. The June Budget 2010, the spending review 2010 and the autumn statement 2011 have made changes to tax credits, child benefit and child care to tackle the deficit in a fair way and ensure that spending is targeted at those who need it most.
	Looking at the cumulative impact on households of tax, tax credit and benefit reforms introduced at this autumn statement and previous fiscal events, the top income decile sees the largest reduction in income, both in cash terms and as a percentage of net income.
	The Government have not assessed the impact of these changes on particular occupations or geographical areas. However, the Government are committed to ensuring that rural residents, communities and businesses benefit fully and fairly from all of their policies and programmes. Rural communities are benefitting from a wide range of Government initiatives, including:
	the £530 million that they are injecting into rolling out superfast broadband across the country;
	the new approach to housing outlined in the recent Housing Strategy; and
	a number of fuel poverty and energy efficiency measures, including Warm Front, feed-in tariffs and the renewable heat premium payment.
	The Government have also recognised the particular needs and interests of rural populations through the Open Public Services White Paper, which has explicitly challenged Departments to find ways of ensuring fair access to services to people who live in rural areas; and the recent Rural Economy Growth Review, which announced a range of measures designed to help and encourage rural businesses to grow, including:
	new Rural Growth Networks;
	a new £100 million funding package; and
	initiatives to promote the rural tourism and agri-food sectors.

Public Sector Debt

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the forecast trajectory of national debt in the final year of this Parliament.

Chloe Smith: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has published its forecast for public sector net debt in its November 2011 “Economic and Fiscal Outlook”, available on the OBR website.

Railways

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he gave to the inclusion of a high-speed rail link between Gatwick and Heathrow airports in his National Infrastructure Plan.

Danny Alexander: The National Infrastructure Plan 2011 sets out the Government plans to publish a consultation on their aviation strategy in March 2012. This will consider all the options for maintaining the UK's international aviation hub status, with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow.

Renewable Energy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps he has taken to encourage growth in the renewable energy sector.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 6 December 2011
	The Government have taken a number of steps to encourage growth in the renewable energy sector in recent months, including:
	announcing at Budget 2011 the introduction of a carbon price floor from 1 April 2013, targeting £30 a tonne of CO2 in 2020, to support investment in low-carbon electricity generation;
	launching of the Renewable Heat Incentive on 28 November this year to provide support for renewable heat;
	publishing a White Paper in July setting out significant reform of electricity markets to support more investment in low carbon generation and flexible capacity to ensure secure supplies and tackle climate change;
	launching of a consultation in October on changes to the support bands under the renewables obligation to bring forward 70 to 75 TWh of renewable electricity in the UK; and
	intending to make investments in green infrastructure projects through the £3 billion made available for the Green Investment Bank from April 2012 and over the spending review period.

Renewable Energy: Feed-In Tariffs

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on increasing the feed-in tariff rate for micro-combined heat and power to 15 pence per KWh.

Chloe Smith: The comprehensive review of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme is considering all aspects of the scheme, including the level of support for each of the technologies supported. The first phase of the review, which was launched on 31 October, proposed changes to tariffs for solar photovoltaic installation.
	The second phase of the review will consider the level of support for other FITs technologies, together with wider issues relating to the administration and implementation of the scheme. The Government are intending to publish a consultation on phase 2 of the review around the end of the year.

Tax Allowances: Individual Savings Accounts

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the annual revenue cost of the tax reliefs available on individual savings accounts; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: The latest published estimate of the annual revenue cost of tax reliefs available on individual savings accounts can be found on the HMRC National Statistics website in published Table 1.5 at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table1-5.pdf
	Updated estimates are due to be published on 30 December 2011.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to review the control framework for DECC levy-funded spending.

Chloe Smith: As set out in the ‘Control framework for DECC levy-funded spending’ published on the Treasury's website:
	“the strong presumption will be that the cap will only be reviewed as part of a Spending Review. However, there may be exceptions to this, including if there are significant changes to the energy tax regime which have knock-on effects for DECC's policies which entail levy-funded spending.”

Taxation: Olympic Games 2012

Diane Abbott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many types of tax exemption will be put in place for non-residents involved in the London 2012 Olympics; how many people will be afforded tax exemptions during the Games; what the thresholds are for the tax exemptions; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The tax commitments required by the International Olympic Committee for non-residents involved in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games include exemptions for visiting athletes and certain persons temporarily entering the UK to carry out 'Olympic or Paralympic-related' business. Qualifying non-resident individuals will be exempt from any income tax arising from activities directly related to the London Games. Details of how the exemptions will work in practice can be found here:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/2012games/tax-exemptions/index.htm
	The Government are unable to estimate the number of individuals to whom these exemptions will apply.
	There are no thresholds for these exemptions.

VAT

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the rise in VAT on consumer confidence.

David Gauke: Sustainable public finances are essential for consumer confidence.
	Decisive action taken by the Government in the comprehensive spending review and June 2010 Budget, including the increase in VAT, put the public finances and Government spending on a sustainable footing. This has prevented the turmoil seen in other countries' sovereign debt markets spreading to the UK and undermining confidence and the recovery in the private sector.

VAT: Business

Laura Sandys: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of time was for HM Revenue and Customs to reimburse VAT to small businesses between 1997 and 2011.

David Gauke: From 2007-11, the average length of time for HM Revenue and Customs to reimburse value added tax is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of correct VAT returns repaid within target (10 days) Average number of working days taken to repay from date return received 
			 2007-08 91.91 10 
			 2008-09 92.09 10 
			 2009-10 93.36 5 
			 2010-11 91.79 4 
			 2011-12 (until November 2011) 91.04 3 
		
	
	Information by business size and for the year 1997 to 2006-07 is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

VAT: Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the increase in VAT receipts arising from the increase in energy bills.

David Gauke: No direct estimate has been made. However, if expenditure on domestic fuel was funded by less spending on goods and services that attract the 20% standard rate of VAT, HMRC would receive less VAT revenue, since domestic fuel and power is taxed at the reduced rate of 5%.
	In its 2011 November Economic and Fiscal Outlook the OBR assumes that higher utility prices will result in a lower share of expenditure which is subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20% in future years.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Chris Grayling: (a) Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance Initiative (PFI) known as the Prime contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of facilities including, where appropriate, the provision of catering services which is delivered through Telereal Trillium's service partner Compass Group UK. Compass undertakes all catering related activity.
	In line with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs guidance, DWP reports on how the Government Buying Standards (GBS) criteria are being met. This will feature in periodic updates on the DWP public website—the following link gives details:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gbs-food-catering.pdf
	This link advises on DWP's commitment and that we are working closely with Telereal Trillium/Compass to maximize compliance with this commitment. One of the best practice GBS criteria, which will feature in future updates on the public website, is around calorie labelling on menus. Compass has indicated that they have implemented full Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labelling on menus, which includes calorific values, into the DWP HQ site at Caxton House, London and will be rolling out GDA labelling across all other DWP sites between January and July 2012.
	(b) Non-departmental public bodies that share accommodation with the DWP on Prime contract sites are included in the response at (a) above. For those NDPBs not covered by the PRIME contract, none have responsibility for catering arrangements, e.g. the Pension Advisory Service and the Independent Living Fund (ILF) only occasionally buy food and snacks on an ad hoc basis in small quantities from local food retailers. Remploy no longer has a catering business. Their canteens are operated by local third party organisations. The Health and Safety Executive's HQ at Bootle has a similar PFI contract to DWP, covering accommodation and all services. HSE has no direct management responsibility for the caterers. However, menus here include a healthy (reduced calorie) option and a vegetarian option. All non-departmental public bodies are aware of the Government Buying Standards.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the Prime contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of facilities including, where appropriate, the provision of catering services which is delivered through Telereal Trillium's service partner Compass Group UK. Compass undertakes all catering related activity.
	In line with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs guidance, DWP reports on how the Government Buying Standards (GBS) criteria are being met. This will feature in periodic updates on the DWP public website—the following link gives details:
	www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/gbs-food-catering.pdf
	This link advises on DWP's commitment and that we are working closely with Telereal Trillium/Compass to maximize compliance with this commitment. One of the GBS criteria, which will feature in future updates on the public website, is around indicating the country of origin of meat, meat products and dairy products. Country of origin information is currently published on menus in the Caxton House, London site and Compass aims to provide this information on menus in the remainder of DWP sites by June 2012. In the meantime this information is available on request.
	(b) Non-departmental public bodies that share accommodation with the DWP on Prime contract sites are included in the response at (a) above. For those NDPBs not covered by the Prime contract, none have responsibility for catering arrangements, e.g. the Pension Advisory Service and the Independent Living Fund (ILF) only occasionally buy food and snacks on an ad hoc basis in small quantities from local food retailers. Remploy no longer has a catering business. Their canteens are operated by local third party organisations. The Health and Safety Executive's HQ at Bootle has a similar PFI contract to DWP, covering accommodation and all services. HSE has no direct management responsibility for the caterers. HSE's caterer sources ingredients from suppliers who are committed to using British food sources whenever possible. However, they do not consistently advise on food country of origin but signage does advise customers of British bacon, eggs and meat. All non-departmental public bodies are aware of the Government Buying Standards.

Departmental Publicity

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what public information advertising campaigns his Department ran in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2011-12 to date; and what the cost was of each such campaign.

Chris Grayling: The following figures are public information campaign costs across the Department for each financial year, including research, design, print and advertising.
	
		
			  Campaign £ 
			 2008-09 Find Your Way Back to Work 3,014,757 
			  Lone Parents 99,493 
			  Jobsearch Channels 25,965 
			  Pension Working Age Communications 230,000 
			  Pension Credit 870,000 
			  Winter Fuel 280,000 
			  Benefit Fraud 5,800,000 
			  Personal Best (a campaign to promote the range of training opportunities linked to volunteering for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.) 50,261 
			   10,370,476 
			    
			 2009-10 Find Your Way Back to Work 6,958,000 
			  Pension Working Age Communications 5,970,000 
			  Pension Credit 1,190,000 
			  Winter Fuel 230,000 
			  Benefit Fraud 4,800,000 
			  Fit Note (informing employers, public and GPs of changes to the 'sick note' from April 2010) 163,735 
			   (1)19,311,735 
			    
			 2010-11 Pension Working Age Communications 1,260,000 
			  Benefit Fraud 20,000 
		
	
	
		
			   (2)1,280,000 
			    
			 2011 to 3l October 2011 Pension Working Age Communications (3)140,000 
			 (1) 86% increase on 2008-09. (2) 93% decrease on 2009-10. (3) 81% decrease on 2010-11.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Chris Grayling: An inward secondment occurs when an individual is temporarily assigned from an outside organisation (not covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme) into the Department. Secondees into our Department are not recorded on our personnel computer system and therefore details are not held centrally; as a consequence this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of written questions for answer on a named day received a substantive answer within five working days in each of the last six months.

Chris Grayling: In the six months to 30 November 2010, the Department answered 449 written questions for answer on a named day, of which 441 (98%) received a substantive answer within five working days. The monthly breakdown is in the following table:
	
		
			 Month Number of named day questions answered Number of named day questions answered within 5 working days Proportion of named day questions answered within 5 working days (percentage) 
			 June 2010 117 112 96 
			 July 2010 73 73 100 
			 August 2010 0 0 — 
			 September 2010 43 42 98 
			 October 2010 97 97 100 
			 November 2010 119 117 98 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Department's performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Employers' Liability: Personal Injury

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of trends in the number of employer liability personal injury cases in the last five years.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of trends in the number of employer liability personal injury cases in the last five years.

Chris Grayling: The information is tabled as follows:
	
		
			 Employer liability 
			 Number 
			 Financial year Accident Disease Total 
			 2006-07 70,783 27,695 98,478 
			 2007-08 68,497 18,701 87,198 
			 2008-09 72,342 14,615 86,957 
			 2009-10 65,450 13,294 78,744 
			 2010-11 66,142 15,328 81,470 
		
	
	The table reflects the volume of employment claims registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) between the periods 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2011. The data are broken down by accident and disease claims and financial year.
	Information from compensation claims registered by compensators with the CRU is provided on the DWP internet site accessible through Directgov Performance and Statistics—DWP. This information may be used by appropriate parties, including the insurance industry, to examine any trends for compensation claims that are made with insurance companies. Therefore, the CRU information on Directgov provides statistics to allow trends to be assessed by interested parties such as the insurance industry. The CRU itself does not undertake any specific trend analysis as the role of the unit is to register claims for compensation, ensure that double compensation does not occur and recover relevant monies from compensators.

Employment Schemes

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on work experience placements in each month since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: With work experience, there are no direct costs to Government—places are provided by employers on a voluntary basis. However, organising and administering the placements does require resources, and Jobcentre Plus meets reasonable travel and child care costs while the participant is undertaking work experience.
	This Government have already agreed funding to allow the Department to put in place 100,000 placements over two years.
	In our autumn statement, we announced plans to introduce a new Youth Contract in 2012. A range of additional help for unemployed young people, worth nearly £1 billion will include provision for an extra 250,000 work experience or sector-based work academy places over the next three years. This will ensure that there is an offer of a work experience place for every 18 to 24-year-old who wants one, before they enter the Work programme.

Employment Schemes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which firms in (a) the east midlands and (b) Leicester City are participating in his work experience programme.

Chris Grayling: Jobcentre Plus works with a wide range of organisations in Leicester City, and across the east midlands, to provide suitable work experience opportunities. A list of those organisations has been placed in the Library.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is the case that his Department confirms whether a Work programme participant is in work and that their prime provider is entitled to a job outcome payment; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Work programme providers receive job outcome payments when the person they have helped into work has stayed in work for three months—or six months if they are long-term JSA claimants.
	DWP requires providers to confirm employment details when participants find work, including information about the employment and the employer contact details. This enables the Department to conduct an off-benefit check and verify any job outcomes claimed by the provider.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of young people participating in the work experience scheme moved from work experience placements into work in each month since January 2011.

Chris Grayling: This information is currently unavailable. However, recent early analysis, based on a sample of 1,300 participants, indicates that less than half of participants are claiming working age benefits after 13 weeks of starting a work experience placement.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the off-flow rate has been of young people who (a) have and (b) have not undertaken work experience placements since January 2011 from benefits into work.

Chris Grayling: The available statistics on work experience participants were published on 9 November 2011. These show that 51% of those who started on the programme in January to March 2011 were not in receipt of benefit 13 weeks later.

Independent Living Fund

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will carry out an impact assessment on the effect on (a) disabled people and their families and (b) local authorities of his decision to close the Independent Living Fund to new applicants.

Maria Miller: The Independent Living Fund is a discretionary trust and payments from the fund are discretionary awards, not statutory benefits. These payments do not take precedence over the responsibility of the local authority to make an assessment of a disabled person's needs. Local authorities retain primary responsibility for the care of disabled people and as part of this responsibility, they need to consider the requirements of people who may otherwise have received an additional package from the Independent Living Fund.

Independent Living Fund

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which disability organisations he is consulting on his plans for the Independent Living Fund.

Maria Miller: As announced in the written ministerial statement of 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 8WS, the consultation on how best to support the needs of current users of the Independent Living Fund beyond the end of this parliament will be launched in spring 2012. We have committed to consulting with disabled people, the current users of the fund and their families, local authorities, the devolved Administrations and other interested parties, including any disability organisations who wish to participate. All views and suggestions received during the consultation period will be carefully considered.
	A full list of the organisations who contributed to the consultation will be published in the Government response.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what reports he has received of prisoners claiming jobseeker’s allowance while in custody.

Chris Grayling: People are not entitled to jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) when they are in prison. There are safeguards in place to prevent the continued payment of benefit for individuals who are sent to prison. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) general matching service (GMS) performs a data match of what is held on both prison and DWP systems for all newly convicted prisoners, and will identify those who are in receipt of a DWP benefit. This will generate a report prompting closure of the claim and final payment of any benefit due up to the point of them entering custody. DWP does not routinely collect information of JSA claims closed in these circumstances.
	The GMS scan will compare basic information such as a person’s name and date of birth across prison and DWP systems. In a small minority of cases, where a prisoner has used an alias or where there are several prisoners with the same name, GMS might not identify their claim. Therefore, to mitigate this risk, Jobcentre Plus employment and benefit advisers (EBAs) who are based in prisons also receive a list of all those entering custody and are able to check both prison and DWP systems to ensure that any claims to benefit have been closed.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department will be involved in HM Revenue and Customs' pilot of real time PAYE information.

Chris Grayling: DWP and HMRC are working closely to agree shared objectives for the pilot of PAYE real time information. DWP are represented on the HMRC real time PAYE information pilot steering group and will receive regular updates on progress.

Pensions: Females

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of full-time female employees are members of a pension scheme.

Steve Webb: In 2010, 59% of full-time female employees in Great Britain were members of an occupational pension scheme. This compares with 54% of full-time male employees in Great Britain who were members of an occupational pension scheme.

Remploy: Mental Health

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what minimum standards his Department has specified in relation to qualifications and experience of frontline advisers in his Department's contract with Remploy for mental health support services for access to work customers; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), set and published the minimum standards required for the Mental Health Support Service Contract within the Invitation to Tender Documentation as:
	Use an appropriately trained professional(s) with a minimum of 2 years relevant background and experience of working with people with mental health issues in a vocational setting. The contractors shall provide and fund continuing professional development at their own cost for their staff and it shall not interfere with or interrupt the contractor's obligations and delivery.

Sick Leave

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department is undertaking into the causes of sickness absence from work.

Chris Grayling: The Department carried out a representative survey of over 2,000 employers in 2010 on health and well-being at work. This looked at the causes of short-, medium- and long-term sickness absence from work. The findings can be found in the Department research report number 750.
	The Department has also commissioned a number of research projects to evaluate the statement of fitness for work or fit notes. Two of these projects (an employee survey and a project involving the collection of fit note data) will examine causes of sickness absence from work where a fit note was issued.
	The Department commissioned an independent review of sickness absence earlier in the year which reported in November. This examined the current system of sickness certification and its effectiveness. The reviewers, Dame Carol Black and David Frost, made a number of recommendations which the Government will consider in the response to the review next year.

Social Security Benefits: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure his Department has incurred on (a) benefits, by benefit and (b) administration costs in Birmingham, for the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	(a) Benefit by benefit expenditure for Birmingham for 2010-11 is shown in the following table, where estimates are available.
	
		
			 Benefit expenditure for Birmingham, 2010-11 
			  £ million 
			 Attendance Allowance 93.3 
			 Bereavement Benefit/Widow’s Benefit 9.8 
			 Carer’s Allowance 42.5 
			 Disability Living Allowance 231.1 
			 Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance 110.8 
			 Income Support 214.0 
			 Jobseeker’s Allowance 153.6 
			 Pension Credit 199.3 
			 State Pension 875.1 
			 Winter Fuel Payments 38.6 
			 Employment and Support Allowance 46.8 
			 Housing Benefit 469.2 
			 Council Tax Benefit 103.7 
			 Total expenditure 2,587.9 
			 Note: Figures rounded to nearest 100,000. Source: DWP statistical and accounting data, and local authority subsidy returns. 
		
	
	(b) The cost of administering benefits for Birmingham residents is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of levels of benefit fraud in Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 2006.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful prosecutions for benefit fraud have been made in Great Yarmouth constituency in each year since 2006; and what sum was involved in each such case.

Chris Grayling: Prosecution data specific to your Great Yarmouth constituency is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has undertaken together with GPs to evaluate the effectiveness of fit notes; what the findings of such research were; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Department has and continues to carry out research with GPs to evaluate the statement of fitness for work. The research includes:
	a representative survey of 1,400 GPs;
	in-depth qualitative interviews with 45 GPs from different locations and practice sizes, and with different personal characteristics; and
	a study involving the collection of fit note data from a small number of GP practices for comparison with sick note data to examine effectiveness.
	The first two projects have published their findings. These can be found in the Department's research reports numbers 733 and 780.

Social Security Benefits: Students

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what benefits are available to students with a long-term illness or disability (a) in full-time, (b) in part-time education and (c) who have suspended their studies;
	(2)  what benefits are available to students with a long-term illness or disability who have (a) drawn and (b) not drawn on their student loan.

Maria Miller: Students in full-time education are not normally eligible for social security benefits as they should be supported by the higher education system. The Government have no plans for allowing exceptions to these rules in respect of students.
	When a student becomes too seriously ill to continue their course and, with the agreement of their university or college authority, suspends their studies, they may apply for employment and support allowance, subject to the qualifying conditions. If they have drawn down their loan it will be treated as income for the quarter it was meant to cover when assessing a claim to a means tested benefit. If the loan has not been drawn down it will not be treated as income in the benefit claim.
	Students in part-time education may qualify for jobseeker's allowance or income support if they meet the conditions for claiming either of those benefits.
	Full-time and part-time students receiving disability living allowance may receive income-related employment and support allowance provided they meet the conditions of entitlement.

Statistics Authority

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between his Department and the UK Statistics Authority between May 2010 and November 2011.

Chris Grayling: Correspondence between the UK Statistics Authority and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), is published on the authority's website and has been placed in the Library:
	http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/reports---correspondence/correspondence/index.html
	Other official correspondence not previously published between the head of profession and the UK Statistics Authority has also been placed in the Library.

Statutory Sick Pay

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of fit notes in assisting people to make a phased return to work.

Chris Grayling: The Department has a programme of work to evaluate the statement of fitness for work or fit notes. Independent research carried out for the Department published earlier in the year found that 70% of GPs agreed that the fit note had helped their patients make a phased return to work.
	A separate piece of research involving in-depth interviews with 45 GPs from different locations and practice sizes conducted for the Department found many GPs believe that patients with conditions that are compatible with phased returns can return to work sooner than they could have done under the previous certification system. Conditions that they found to be highly compatible with phased returns included myalgic encephalomyelitis or ME (often referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome), common mental health conditions and musculoskeletal problems. Phased return, for example two or three days a week, can be used to build patient confidence and eventually enable a full return leading to positive health outcomes for these patients through having the opportunity to work. Some GPs did note, however, that they perceived that smaller companies may be limited in the number of alternative roles that they can offer employees during the course of a phased return.
	The Department will continue to examine the effectiveness of fit notes in assisting people to make a phased return to work through:
	in-depth interviews with employers and employees (to be published early next year);
	a representative survey of employees (to be published at the end of next year); and
	a comparative study of fit and sick notes (to be published in 2013).

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to discuss with representatives of Bacs Payment Schemes Ltd mechanisms whereby rent payments in the universal credit could be paid immediately and automatically to housing associations as soon as credits are made into a claimant's account.

Chris Grayling: The assumption will be for universal credit to be paid directly into claimants' bank accounts every month. The Department is exploring budget support mechanisms for claimants.

Vocational Training

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely take-up by businesses of the job subsidies announced in the autumn statement.

Chris Grayling: As part of the Youth Contract, we are making available 160,000 wage incentive payments worth £2,275 each, for employers who recruit an 18 to 24-year-old from the Work programme.
	We are designing the detail of the Youth Contract measures, including how wage incentives payments will be made, in partnership with employers, providers and experts from the private, public and voluntary sectors to ensure that they are effective.

Welfare Reform Bill

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his contribution of 15 June 2011, Official Report, column 879, on the Welfare Reform Bill, if he will reject Professor Harrington's recommendation to end the exemption from the work capability assessment for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy in hospitals.

Chris Grayling: Professor Harrington and Macmillan Cancer Support have provided evidence to me that we should make changes to the assessment of individuals suffering from cancer.
	The evidence provided clearly shows that there is no longer a basis for differentiating between most types of cancer treatment (such as oral or intravenous chemotherapy). But the evidence also shows that there is considerable individual variation in terms of the impact of treatment on each claimant and that work can be very important for some individuals with cancer.
	As a result the Department has drawn up proposals, supported by Professor Harrington, to improve the assessment. These would increase the number of individuals receiving treatment for cancer being placed in the Support Group while also reducing the number of people who would have to go through a face-to-face assessment. At the same time, individuals who wanted to return to work would be supported to do so.
	We are disappointed Macmillan have been unable to support these proposals developed based on the evidence they submitted. We had hoped to introduce them in April 2012, but we are now seeking a wider range of views from cancer specialists, cancer sufferers and employers through an informal consultation. Ministers will not reach a final decision until the outcome of the consultation is known.

Welfare Reform Bill

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is his policy that following enactment of the Welfare Reform Bill, people over the age of 65 currently receiving disability living allowance (DLA) will not be reassessed for personal independence payment and will continue to receive DLA.

Maria Miller: Personal independence payment will replace disability living allowance for working-age (16 to 64) adults from 2013. We want to build on the experience of developing an assessment and applying it to new and existing claimants of working age to inform our decisions about the arrangements for current disability living allowance recipients who are over the age of 65. Therefore we will not extend personal independence payment to people over the age of 65 already receiving DLA, until we have had an opportunity to consider the effectiveness of the new arrangements for working age people.

Winter Fuel Payments

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he has made an estimate of the cost of means-testing winter fuel allowance payments.

Steve Webb: Means-testing winter fuel payments would significantly increase administrative costs, but it is likely that these would be more than offset by decreased benefit expenditure. For example, if the payments were to be made only to those in receipt of pension credit the benefit expenditure would be £600 million in 2012-13. With current entitlement conditions benefit expenditure on winter fuel payments is forecast to be £2,100 million in 2012-13.
	Note:
	All figures rounded to the nearest £100 million.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were investigated by the Serious Fraud Office in 2010-11; how many resulted in charges being brought; and how many cases in which charges were brought (a) were settled and (b) resulted in a successful prosecution.

Edward Garnier: The Serious Fraud Office investigates and prosecutes the most serious and complex economic crime. At any given time in 2010-11 the SFO was investigating around 100 cases including those at the earliest stages of investigation (to see if they were appropriate for the SFO to take on), and cases that had been to trial but where proceeds of crime issues were being pursued.
	Because of their complexity, it can take a number of years to investigate cases, get them through the court system and bring them to conclusion. Outcomes from the work and effort put into cases are sometimes not seen until many months later. Cases investigated in 2010-11 therefore may not have been charged or have gone to trial within the same period.
	The 17 cases prosecuted in 2010-11 involved 31 defendants. Of these, 26 defendants were convicted and five defendants were acquitted, giving a trial conviction rate of 84%. In every case that went to trial at least one defendant was convicted.
	
		
			  2010-11 (number) 
			 Average number of active cases 103 
			 Cases where charges have been brought(1) 36 
			 Cases successfully concluded and leading to prosecutions 17 
			 Cases settled by civil recovery 1 
			 (1) The figure relates the number of cases that at the end of the financial year were either awaiting trial, where the trial was part heard, or where the trial had concluded. In all these cases charges will have been brought against the defendants but not necessarily during 2010-11.

JUSTICE

Court Proceedings: Broadcasting

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to permit the broadcasting of court proceedings.

Kenneth Clarke: We are planning to legislate, as soon as parliamentary time allows to remove the ban on cameras in courts, subject to certain safeguards, and we are working closely with the Lord Chief Justice on achieving this. Initially, we will allow judgments in the Court of Appeal to be broadcast for the first time, and will expand this to the Crown court in due course. We will not allow filming of juries, victims and witnesses under any circumstances.

Law Centres

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what future support he plans to provide to law centres.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not provide direct support for law centres. However, law centres are able to bid for contracts issued by the Legal Services Commission to provide legal aid services in specified areas of law and will continue to be able to do so in the future.
	The Ministry of Justice is also working closely with the Cabinet Office to support the cross-government review into the funding of the Not-for Profit sector announced on 21 November.

County Courts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with which organisations his Department had discussions on the subject matter of its consultation on solving disputes in the county courts (a) before and (b) after the consultation closed.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer given on 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 190W. The Department has engaged in discussions with the following organisations during the course of this year:
	Association of British Insurers
	Civil Mediation Council
	Forum of Insurance Lawyers
	Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
	Motor Accident Solicitors Society
	The Law Society
	The British Bankers Association
	Citizens Advice
	Her Majesties' Association of District Judges
	R3 (Association of Business Recovery Professionals)
	Civil Courts Users Association
	Office of Fair Trade
	Shergroup
	The Land Registry
	Centre for Peaceful Solutions and Brent Mediation Centre
	Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
	Law Works Mediation
	National Health Service Litigation Authority
	Medical Protection Society
	Weightmans Solicitors.

County Courts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  when he expects to publish his Department’s response to its consultation on solving disputes in the county courts;
	(2)  what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the Government’s response to the consultation on solving disputes in the county courts;
	(3)  when he expects the Government’s response to his Department’s consultation on solving disputes in the county courts to be published.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer given on 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 190W. The Government expect the consultation response to be published in the new year. The response was initially scheduled for publication in October but this was postponed due to ongoing discussions within Government.

County Courts

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many submissions his Department received to its consultation on solving disputes in the county courts.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer given on 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 190W. The Department received 319 responses to the consultation.

Legal Opinion: Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times his Department has instructed 1 Brick Court in each year between 2006 and 2011; and how much his Department paid to 1 Brick Court on each such occasion.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not keep a central record of the number of times it instructs particular chambers. However on inquiry the Department is aware of one occasion in which 1 Brick Court chambers was instructed over this period. The cost to the Department was £8,084 (inclusive of VAT).

Crime Prevention: Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to his Department was of providing behaviour-related courses for offenders convicted of (a) violent crimes and (b) sexual offences in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The cost of providing behaviour-related courses for offenders convicted of (a) violent crimes and (b) sexual offences are not collated centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by obtaining highly complex information held on offender files or in local and national data systems, validating it, collating it in a common format and then calculating the overall costs in order to provide a response.

Crimes of Violence: Sexual Offences

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many defendants charged with (a) violent and (b) sexual offences have committed offences or been charged with committing further offences while on bail in the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: Data are not held centrally on the number of offences committed during the bail period by people who have been charged.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring, 2012.

Consultants

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much (a) his Department and (b) the National Offender Management Service spent on external consultants in each of the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice (excluding the National Offender Management Service) has spent the following on external consultants in each of the last three years:
	
		
			 November to October each year Spend (net)  (£) 
			 2008-09 38,403,327 
			 2009-10 21,651,659 
			 2010-11 11,333,398 
		
	
	The National Offender Management Service has spent the following on external consultants in each of the last three years:
	
		
			 November to October each year Spend (net)  (£) 
			 2008-09 9,622,423 
			 2009-10 15,890,390 
			 2010-11 14,560,996

Departmental Contracts

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the permanent secretary at his Department has met representatives of (a) Amey, (b) CCA, (c) G4S, (d) GEO, (e) Interserve, (f) MITIE, (g) MTC, (h) Reliance, (i) Serco and (j) Sodexo since May 2010; and if he will place details of any such meetings in the Library.

Kenneth Clarke: My Department publishes details of meetings between the permanent secretary and external organisations on its website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/index.htm
	Since May 2010, my permanent secretary has met with Serco on one occasion. Details of this meeting will be published in due course.

Electronic Tagging

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced to supervision by the courts in England and Wales with a condition of being electronically tagged, in each year since 2000.

Crispin Blunt: According to data returns provided by electronic monitoring contractors the total number of orders sentenced by the courts with electronic monitoring, in England and Wales in each financial year since 1999-2000, was as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Total number of orders sentenced by the courts with electronic monitoring 
			 1999-2000 3,039 
			 2000-01 4,687 
			 2001-02 6,900 
			 2002-03 11,342 
			 2003-04 18,296 
			 2004-05 25,795 
			 2005-06 30,787 
			 2006-07 38,583 
			 2007-08 49,760 
			 2008-09 54,811 
			 2009-10 55,894 
			 2010-11 64,420 
			 2011-12 (to end November 2011) 41,963

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases against the UK were pending in the European Court of Human Rights on the most recent date for which information is available.

Kenneth Clarke: According to the Court's published statistics, the number of applications pending against the UK was 6,197 at 18 July 2011. This total included applications for which a completed application form had not yet been received and on which no decision had yet been made about admissibility.
	The vast majority of these applications will be declared inadmissible and will not result in a judgment. This is illustrated by the Court's statistics for 2010, which state that only 23 of applications against the UK resulted in judgments. For this year, up to October, the total number of judgments in applications against the UK was 10.

Formal Punishment

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) male and (b) female prisoners were subject to formal punishment after adjudication in each prison in (i) 2009 and (ii) 2010.

Crispin Blunt: Information in the form requested is not readily available. The offender management caseload statistics are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/omcs-annual.htm
	They show that in 2009, a total of 98,275 offences by male prisoners were punished at adjudications, and 6,471 offences by female prisoners. Statistics for 2010 have not yet been published.

HM Prison Ranby

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff at HM Prison Ranby have lodged a grievance in the last two years.

Crispin Blunt: NOMS records indicate that 26 staff submitted grievances via their line managers at HM Prison Ranby between 7 December 2009 and 7 December 2011.

HM Prison Ranby

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many allegations of staff at HM Prison Ranby bringing in (a) drugs and (b) mobile telephones have been made in the last 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: It would be inappropriate for operational reasons, including implications for order and control, the integrity of security systems and to ongoing investigations and operations in to staff misconduct, to provide the information requested.
	NOMS will always seek to deal robustly with any member of prison staff engaging in any form of staff corruption, including the conveying of prohibited items in to prisons, and will look to use internal disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings depending on the circumstances of the case.

Judges

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total cost was of salaries for judges employed by the Tribunal Service to hear appeals to decisions made under the work capability assessment in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the likely cost of such salaries in 2012-13;
	(2)  how many judges were employed by the Tribunal Service to hear appeals to decisions made under the work capability assessment in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and what estimate he has made of the likely number of such judges in 2012-13.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) tribunal hears appeals on a range of benefits, of which ESA is one, and judges are not appointed to hear ESA appeals specifically.
	Judges can hear a range of different appeal types in any given day so it is not possible to isolate the cost of salaries and fees specifically for hearing ESA appeals. The following table shows the cost of judicial salaries and fees paid to judges in the SSCS tribunal.
	
		
			 Judicial salaries 
			  Cost (£ million) 
			 2008-09 25.7 
			 2009-10 32.0 
			 2010-11 39.4 
			 2011-12 (planned) 48.2 
		
	
	Resource planning for 2012-13 has not yet been finalised.
	Judges may be salaried or fee-paid. The number of sittings undertaken by fee-paid judges varies from judge to judge depending on their availability but subject to a minimum of 30 days per year. As they can hear a range of different appeal types in any given day, it is not possible to identify the number hearing ESA appeals specifically. The number of SSCS judges fluctuates during the course of the year due to appointments, retirements and resignations.
	The data management system for the SSCS tribunal is a live database and it is not possible to extract retrospective figures for the numbers of judges hearing appeals. The following table shows approximate numbers of judges at specific points between February 2008 and December 2011 as recorded in locally-held management information.
	
		
			 Number of tribunal judges February 2008 to December 2011 
			  Number of salaried judges Number of fee-paid judges 
			 February 2008 73 571 
			 February 2009 70 545 
			 August 2010 72 518 
			 December 2011 94 645 
		
	
	Resource planning for 2012-13 has not yet been finalised.

Legal Opinion

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has commissioned external legal advice on which areas of legal aid could be taken out of the legal aid system without violating (a) treaty obligations and (b) European Convention rights; and if he will place a copy of any such advice in the Library.

Jonathan Djanogly: I can confirm that my Department has sought external legal advice on aspects of the legal aid reform programme but did not commission such advice specifically on which areas of legal aid could be taken out of the legal aid system without violating (a) treaty obligation and (b) European Convention rights.

Legal Opinion: Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which chambers his Department has instructed to give advice on matters relating to provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill; and what fees were paid to each such chamber in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jonathan Djanogly: External legal advice has been sought on aspects of the legal aid reform but no external legal advice has been sought directly on the provisions in the Bill itself. We have not classified advice pertaining to litigation as being matters relating to provisions in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

Magistrates Courts: Wales

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 28W, on Magistrates Courts: Wales; which magistrates courts premises in Wales will be sold; and how much they each will be sold for.

Jonathan Djanogly: The following magistrates courts premises are for sale:
	Aberdare magistrates and county court
	Ammanford magistrates court
	Barry magistrates court
	Cardigan magistrates court
	Denbigh magistrates court
	Flint magistrates court
	Llangefni magistrates court
	Llwynypia magistrates court
	Pwllheli magistrates court.
	Negotiations with potential purchasers for these properties are ‘subject to contract’ and are regarded as commercial in confidence. It is therefore not possible to detail the sale price.

Offenders: Community Care

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, columns 27-29W, on offenders: community care, what the subsequent offences are for which discharged restricted patients have been convicted.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only by a member of staff manually sifting through up to 2,094 files for over 150 working days at a disproportionate cost.
	However, work to obtain information on further offences committed by those restricted patients discharged since December 2009 is under way, and I will write to my hon. Friend with that information as soon as it is available.

Offenders: Community Care

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2011, Official Report, columns 27-29W, on offenders: community care, how many requests were made to him to release restricted patients into the community in each of the last five years; and how many such requests were granted.

Crispin Blunt: It is not possible to provide the information requested relating to requests for discharge prior to 4 March 2009, the date on which an electronic caseworking system was introduced. To do so would require manual checks of 4,127 files for 98 days at disproportionate cost.
	The number of requests to discharge restricted patients into the community received and granted from 4 March 2009 to 8 December 2011 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Request for discharge Discharge agreed Discharge refused 
			 4 March 2009 to 31 December 2009 74 64 10 
			 2010 110 92 18 
			 1 January 2011 to 9 December 2011 112 96 16 
		
	
	The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), will discharge restricted patients into the community only if he is satisfied, based on the clinical evidence presented, that the patient no longer requires treatment in hospital and that arrangements for his safe management in the community have been made.

Offenders: Convictions

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of each offence listed in Schedule 16 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill who had previously been convicted of any of those offences in each of the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of people who were convicted of an offence listed in schedule 16 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, in the years 2001 to 2010, who at the time had at least one previous conviction for any one of these offences. Attempted offences and offences involving aiding, abetting, conspiracy and incitement are classified with the main offence, and have not been separately identified.
	Offenders would not be eligible for a mandatory life sentence under clause 114 of the current Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill unless each conviction had merited a determinate sentence of at least 10 years. These figures show all convictions in cases where the offender had been convicted previously of a schedule 16 offence.
	The figures relate to separate sentencing occasions; where an offender was sentenced on the same occasion for several offences it is the primary offence that has been counted. These figures have been drawn from the police's administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.
	
		
			 Number of people who were convicted of an offence listed in schedule 16 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, in the years 2001 to 2010, who had at least one previous conviction for a schedule 16 offence 
			 Offence 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 Manslaughter 23 25 16 19 14 14 27 16 6 10 
			 An offence under section 4 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861 (soliciting murder) — — 2 — 1 2 1 — — — 
			 An offence under section 18 of that Act (wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm) 398 348 394 321 329 294 239 231 231 242 
			 An offence under section 16 of the Firearms Act 1968 (possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life) 8 9 4 6 2 4 5 6 4 3 
			 An offence under section 17(1) of that Act (use of a firearm to resist arrest) 1 — — — 1 1 — — — 1 
		
	
	
		
			 An offence under section 18 of that Act (carrying a firearm with criminal intent) 15 14 18 13 7 10 16 9 9 6 
			 An offence of robbery under section 8 of the Theft Act 1968 where, at some time during the commission of the offence, the offender had in his possession a firearm or an imitation firearm within the meaning of the Firearms Act 1968 1 4 2 1 — 1 — — — — 
			 An offence under section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1978 (indecent images of children) 12 17 19 29 48 37 53 95 81 103 
			 An offence under section 56 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (directing terrorist organisation) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 57 of that Act (possession of article for terrorist purposes) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 59 of that Act (inciting terrorism overseas) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 47 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (use etc of nuclear weapons) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 50 of that Act (assisting or inducing certain weapons-related acts overseas) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 113 of that Act (use of noxious substance or thing to cause harm or intimidate) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (rape) 40 35 39 47 49 60 53 56 60 48 
			 An offence under section 2 of that Act (assault by penetration) — — — — 11 6 8 6 8 6 
			 An offence under section 4 of that Act (causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — 1 — — 1 — — 
			 An offence under section 5 of that Act (rape of a child under 13) — — — — 4 6 2 12 13 13 
			 An offence under section 6 of that Act (assault of a child under 13 by penetration) — — — — — 4 3 4 4 5 
			 An offence under section 7 of that Act (sexual assault of a child under 13) — — — 4 7 18 18 25 11 22 
			 An offence under section 8 of that Act (causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity) — — — — 1 3 2 10 1 7 
			 An offence under section 9 of that Act (sexual activity with a child) — — — 4 18 24 20 26 31 33 
			 An offence under section 10 of that Act (causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity) — — — 2 2 4 4 2 10 10 
			 An offence under section 11 of that Act (engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child) — — — — 6 4 3 6 5 5 
			 An offence under section 12 of that Act (causing a child to watch a sexual act) — — — — — — 1 3 — 2 
			 An offence under section 14 of that Act (arranging or facilitating commission of a child sex offence) — — — — — — — 2 2 1 
			 An offence under section 15 of that Act (meeting a child following sexual grooming etc) — — — — — 1 2 3 5 6 
			 An offence under section 25 of that Act (sexual activity with a child family member) if the offender is aged 18 or over at the time of the offence — — — — — — 5 2 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			 An offence under section 26 of that Act (inciting a child family member to engage in sexual activity) if the offender is aged 18 or over at the time of the offence — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 An offence under section 30 of that Act (sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder impeding choice) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — 1 — — 2 
			 An offence under section 31 of that Act (causing or inciting a person with a mental disorder to engage in sexual activity) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 34 of that Act (inducement, threat or deception to procure sexual activity with a person with a mental disorder) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 35 of that Act (causing a person with a mental disorder to engage in or agree to engage in sexual activity by inducement etc) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 47 of that Act (paying for sexual services of a child) against a person aged under 16 — — — — — 1 2 — — — 
			 An offence under section 48 of that Act (causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography) — — — — — — — 1 — — 
			 An offence under section 49 of that Act (controlling a child prostitute or a child involved in pornography) — — — — — — — 1 — — 
			 An offence under section 50 of that Act (arranging or facilitating child prostitution or pornography) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 62 of that Act (committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence) if the offender is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for life — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable adult) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 (preparation of terrorist acts) — — — — — — — 1 — — 
			 An offence under section 9 of that Act (making or possession of radioactive device or materials) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 10 of that Act (misuse of radioactive devices or material and misuse and damage of facilities) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 11 of that Act (terrorist threats relating to radioactive devices, materials or facilities) — — — — — — — — — — 
			 Murder 42 40 33 44 51 42 36 38 42 34 
			 An offence under section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956 (rape)—included with section 1 offences above — — — — — — — — — — 
			 An offence under section 5 of that Act (intercourse with a girl under 13) 1 1 1 3 1 — — — — 1

Personal Injury

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reason the round table consultation meeting on personal injury matters scheduled for 1 November 2011 was postponed; and on what date it will now take place.

Jonathan Djanogly: I refer the right hon. Member to my previous answer given on 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 190W. The round table discussion was postponed as the publication of the Government’s response to “Solving Disputes in the County Courts” has been delayed. The meeting will be rescheduled for the new year once the consultation response has been published.

Police Cautions

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many conditional cautions were issued by police authorities in each of the last five years; and for which categories of offence.

Dominic Grieve: I have been asked to reply.
	Conditional Cautioning was established by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, and is operated under a statutory Code of Practice. The Code of Practice requires the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue supporting Guidance on Conditional Cautioning, which sets out the practical details of how the scheme operates. The range of offences that may be considered for a Conditional Caution are set out in the Guidance at Annex A. This annex can be found at the following link to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) website:
	http://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/others/conditionalcautioning04annexa.html
	A Crown Prosecutor decides whether a Conditional Caution is an appropriate disposal in a case, in consultation with the police.
	CPS data recorded on its Case Management System, shows that nationally the number of Conditional Cautions issued in the last five years is 34,466. A breakdown of Conditional Cautions issued by police force area level between 2007 and October 2011 is set out in tables which have been deposited in the Library of the House.
	The CPS commenced publishing details on its website of the Conditional Cautions issued by areas from March 2010. This is published on a quarterly basis. From the information currently available it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the numbers of Conditional Cautions issued for each category of offence by police force area level. The information does provide a breakdown of offence categories for which Conditional Cautions have been issued. A copy of the breakdown at national level has been placed in the Library of the House and is categorised as follows:
	Common Assault
	Assaulting a police officer
	Section 4 and 4A Public Order Act 1986
	Destroying or damaging property
	Unlawful taking of a motor vehicle
	Interference with vehicles
	Section 5 Public Order Act 1986
	Obstructing a police officer
	Drunk and Disorderly
	Indecent exposure
	Simple drunk
	Violent behaviour in a police station
	Other summary only offences
	Theft
	Removal of articles from places open to the public
	Abstracting electricity
	False accounting
	Handling stolen goods
	Going equipped for stealing etc
	Making off without payment
	Making a false representation
	Failing to disclose information
	Fraud by abuse of position
	Possession of articles for use in frauds
	Making or supplying articles for use in frauds
	Obtaining services dishonestly
	Threats to destroy or damage property
	Possessing anything with intent to destroy or damage property
	Possession of any class of drug (consistent with personal use)
	Other Forgery

Police Cautions

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the magistrates' service about the use of conditional cautions.

Crispin Blunt: I met with the Magistrates Association on 24 May 2011 and 19 October 2011 to discuss wider sentencing issues.
	The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert), also met with the Magistrates Association on 29 September 2011 and 8 December 2011 to discuss proposals for the reform that included of out-of-court disposals.
	Ministers will continue to engage with the Magistrates Association as we consider the development of conditional cautions policy as part of wider reforms.

Prisoners’ Release: Lie Detectors

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1043W, on prisoners' release: lie detectors, for what reason some sex offenders did not attend a polygraph test; and whether any prisoners were returned to prison for breaching their licence conditions.

Crispin Blunt: The answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1043W, stated that 650 offenders were released with a (polygraph) licence condition and that 599 attended at least one polygraph session. The reasons for non-attendance were as follows:
	43 were recalled to prison before the date of the test (testing took place eight to 12 weeks after release). The project did not collect data on the reasons for recall before testing but any recall must be on the basis of a breach of licence condition(s).
	The other eight “no tests” were for one of the following reasons: an offender being unlawfully at large at the time of his scheduled test; medical reasons that interfered with the testing apparatus (e.g. Parkinson's disease, respiratory problems); legitimate cancellation but then the licence(s) having ended before the test could be rescheduled; the offender not attending but then the licence(s) having ended before rescheduling was possible (in such a case, enforcement action would have ensued).

Prisoners’ Release: Lie Detectors

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1043W, on prisoners' release: lie detectors, if he will estimate the (a) total cost to the public purse of the pilot and (b) average cost to the public purse of each lie detector test.

Crispin Blunt: The total budget for the mandatory polygraph pilot was £1,135,000. This paid for a total of 1,290 tests, at an average cost of £880 each. The average cost per test includes an apportionment of all the costs arising from the pilot, in particular the research contract, testing and associated management costs, training costs for offender managers supervising offenders subject to the polygraph condition, and the cost of an administrator's post to support the pilot.

Prisoners’ Release: Lie Detectors

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1043W, on prisoners' release: lie detectors, whether any offenders taking part in the pilot received any expenses in relation to their attendance or participation.

Crispin Blunt: No incentives or rewards were offered to offenders in relation to their participation in the polygraph pilot. The testing was mandatory and offenders risked recall to custody if they did not attend for the polygraph test.
	Some offenders may have had the cost of their travel between their home and the office, at which the test took place, reimbursed according to the rules of the probation trust responsible for their supervision. Trusts will reimburse some offenders for the cost of their travel to or from the office at which they are required to report, according to local policy and eligibility criteria.

Prisoners’ Release: Lie Detectors

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1043W, on prisoners’ release: lie detectors, how many offenders who took part in the lie detector pilot have re-offended since their release from prison.

Crispin Blunt: Testing in the mandatory polygraph pilot ended on 31 October 2011. A report on the evaluation of the pilot, to determine whether mandatory polygraph testing is an effective additional tool for managing the risk of harm presented by sexual offenders, is due for publication in the summer of 2012. This research will look at the number of offenders recalled as a result of a breach of licence. However, the research does not include a reconviction study because of the lack of a suitable follow-up period while the fieldwork is being undertaken.
	Some licence breaches may be a result of a further offence (as opposed to a breach of specific licence conditions). The research aims to assess if polygraph testing leads to more clinically significant disclosures to the offender manager during statutory supervision. It is not a recidivism study and, therefore, does not examine directly if the polygraph leads to fewer or more incidents of alleged offending during the licence period.

Prisons: Energy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of heating and lighting was for the prison estate in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: The most recent full year cost where figures are available is for financial year 2010-11.
	The unit cost of gas and electric fluctuates in accordance with global marketing trading, therefore the prices given in this answer are the average for FY 2010-11 period.
	During that period, the average cost per kWh paid for electricity to provide lighting was 3.9 pence per kWh, and 1.4 pence per kWh to provide gas for heating.

Prisons: Manpower

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the level of staff turnover was by grade at HM Prison (a) Acklington, (b) Castington, (c) Coldingley, (d) Durham, (e) Hatfield, (f) Lindholme, (g) Moorland, (h) Onley and (i) Wolds, in 2010-11.

Crispin Blunt: Information on the turnover rate, broken down by grade, of directly employed permanent staff from the named establishments between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011 is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			 Permanent staff turnover rates by grade ,  2010-11 
			 Public sector 
			 Establishment Officer grades Operational support grades Other grades All grades 
			 Acklington 3.4 5.5 2.9 3.6 
			 Castington 1.8 5.7 9.8 4.5 
			 Coldingley 3.1 6.8 4.4 4.2 
			 Durham 3.5 6.7 8.0 5.2 
			 Lindholme 2.9 3.1 8.1 4.5 
			 Moorland/Hatfield 4.2 5.3 6.7 5.0 
			 Onley 7.8 6.5 7.9 7.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Private sector 
			  Operational management Prison custody officers Other grades Total 
			 Wolds 11.8 3.8 6.3 5.5 
			 Notes: 1. Information is on a headcount basis and relates directly employed staff who had a permanent contract of employment. 2. Turnover refers to staff leaving HM Prison Service and would not include staff leaving the establishments for other parts of the National Offender Management Service. 3. Hatfield staff are reported together with Moorland on the HR database and cannot be disaggregated.

Public Protection Arrangements

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have committed each type of offence.

Crispin Blunt: Sections 325 and 327 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 provide for specified categories of offender to be subject to the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) established in each area. These are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			 Categories of offender subject to MAPPA 
			  Offender 
			 Category 1 Registered sexual offender 
			   
			 Category 2 Violent or other sexual offender: 
			  who has been sentenced to 12 months or more custody for an offence under Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003;or 
		
	
	
		
			  who has been sentenced to 12 months or more custody and is transferred to hospital under section 47/s.49 of the Mental Health Act 1983; or 
			  who is detained in hospital under section 37 of the Mental Health Act 1983 with or without a restriction order under section 41 of that Act. 
			   
			 Category 3 Other dangerous offender: a person who has been cautioned for or convicted of an offence which indicates that he or she is capable of causing serious harm and which requires multi-agency management. This might not be for an offence under Schedule 15 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. 
		
	
	Table 2 of the Ministry of Justice Statistics bulletin ‘Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2010-11’ which was published on 27 October 2011, provides information about the number of offenders in each of the three categories who were subject to MAPPA. Information for the past five years is reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			 Offenders subject to MAPPA by Category on 31 March (1) 
			  Category 1 Category 2 Category 3  
			  Registered sexual offenders Violent offenders Other dangerous offenders Total 
			 2005-06 29,983 14,292 3,313 — 
			 2006-07 30,416 14,921 3,132 — 
			 2007-08 31,392 16,249 2,569 — 
			      
			 2008-09 32,347 11,527 884 44,758 
			 2009-10 34,939 12,766 633 48,338 
			 2010-11 37,225 13,785 479 51,489 
			 (1) Up to and including 2007-08 this figure was a yearly total; from 2008-09 this figure is taken at 31 March. Category 1 has always been taken on 31 March of the relevant year. 
		
	
	Information is not centrally available on the number of offenders who committed specific offences within these categories. The information could be obtained only by a manual search of the records held by all the local Probation Trusts and police forces of all the offenders made subject to MAPPA in the last five years. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring forward proposals to amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Nick Herbert: We intend to bring forward reforms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by way of amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

Reoffenders: Alternatives to Prosecution

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2011, Official Report, column 1045W, on reoffenders: alternatives to prosecution, 
	(1)  how many offenders with 15 or more previous convictions received subsequent police cautions in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many offenders have received more than one out-of-court disposal for offences committed in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: My hon. Friend’s request for further information has been answered using MOJ's published proven reoffending statistics. In this case proven reoffending is measured over a one year period from the point an offender receives their first caution.
	Table 1 shows the number of cautioned adult offenders (aged 18 or over) with 15 or more previous convictions who then received a subsequent caution within a year, for the last five years for which data are available (2005 to 2009).
	
		
			 Table 1 
			  Number of offenders 
			 2005 337 
			 2006 549 
			 2007 575 
			 2008 512 
			 2009 374 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the number of cautioned adult offenders (aged 18 or over) who received more than one out of court disposal (caution) within a year for the last five years for which data are available (2005 to 2009).
	
		
			 Table 2 
			  Number of offenders 
			 2005 8,169 
			 2006 11,314 
			 2007 11,923 
			 2008 10,649 
			 2009 8,149

Sentencing

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to increase the effectiveness of community sentences.

Kenneth Clarke: We are already taking action on strengthening community sentences through the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, including making Community Payback more immediate and intensive.
	We have identified through this work that we need to go much further and will be consulting on reforms to ensure that community sentences effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders, in due course.

Sentencing

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people are serving a life sentence; for what crimes they were convicted; and how many have already served their tariff.

Crispin Blunt: On 21 June 2011, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) published the following report: “Provisional figures relating to offenders serving indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPPs)”. This can be found on the MOJ’s website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/statistics-and-data/mojstats/provisional-ipp-figures.pdf
	Data on life sentenced prisoners are also included in the report.
	Based on data at the end of March 2011, 8,100 people were serving a life sentence.
	The category of offence for which they were imprisoned is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Violence against the person 6,730 
			 Sexual offences 910 
			 Other violence (including robbery) 480 
			 Total 8,100 
		
	
	Of these, 3,200 had passed their minimum tariff date.
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 50 except for the more detailed offence categories which are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures have been rounded separately and will therefore not always sum to the totals.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Sexual Offences: Crime Prevention

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sex offenders have undertaken courses whilst (a) in custody and (b) in the community for the purposes of preventing them from re-offending.

Crispin Blunt: There are a range of interventions that could all potentially help reduce an offender's risk of further sexual offending and/or general offending.
	In terms of interventions specifically designed to meet the treatment needs of sexual offenders figures for completions in the seven years to 2010-11 are as follows:
	
		
			  Custody SOTP completions Community SOTP completions 
			 2004-05 1,232 803 
			 2005-06 1,152 961 
			 2006-07 1,224 1,301 
			 2007-08 1,117 1,360 
			 2008-09 1,114 1,367 
			 2009-10 1,133 1,452 
			 2010-11 1,142 1,572 
		
	
	These figures are only for completions. The figures stated do not include those individuals who started but did not finish courses specified. Information on attrition rates are not kept centrally for the periods requested. Obtaining this information would only be possible through collating information from local sources and this only at disproportionate cost.

Sexual Offences: Crime Prevention

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders subject to sexual offences prevention orders have subsequently (a) reoffended and (b) committed further sexual offences in each of the last three years.

Kenneth Clarke: Table 7 of the Ministry of Justice statistics bulletin “Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements Annual Report 2010/11” which was published on 27 October 2011, provides information about offenders given sexual offences prevention orders (SOPOs) who are managed at level 2 and level 3 (that is, who are subject to active multi-agency management) under the multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) and who are sent to custody for breaching the terms of their SOPO. This information is given in the following table.
	Information about offenders managed at level 1 (ordinary agency management), and information about the type of further offence committed by offenders at all levels, could be obtained only by a manual search of the records of all the 5,812 offenders given a SOPO in the last three years. This could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Returned to custody for breach of SOPO 
			  Level 2 Level 3 Total 
			 2008-09 58 10 68 
			 2009-10 81 8 89 
			 2010-11 45 12 57

Tribunals Service: Work Capability Assessment

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether any part of the Tribunals Service is planning to operate a six-day week to hear appeals against work capability assessment decisions; and which Tribunals Service centres are planning to do so.

Jonathan Djanogly: Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) tribunal hears appeals on a range of benefits, of which ESA is one. In response to significant and unforecast increases in appeals to the tribunal, HMCTS has taken a number of measures to increase its hearing capacity, by increasing the number of tribunal sessions held, increasing judicial and administrative productivity, and introducing more efficient processes and extended opening times. Total disposals by the SSCS tribunal in the period between April and October 2011 were 21% up on the same period in 2010, and 66% higher than in the same seven months in 2009.
	All SSCS hearing venues hear appeals on the range of benefit types, including ESA. Saturday sittings have been introduced in a number of hearing venues. Appellants are asked whether they are willing to attend a hearing on a Saturday before their case is listed and the hearing will proceed exactly as it would on a weekday.
	The following tribunal hearing venues are running Saturday sittings: Sutton, Bexleyheath, Fox Court (South London appeals), Cardiff, Wrexham, Langstone, Plymouth, Dundee and Hamilton.
	The following tribunal hearing venues will run Saturday sittings from January 2012: Newcastle, South Shields, Leeds, and Sheffield.
	The following tribunal hearing venues have run Saturday sittings and are evaluating the impact on clearance rates before deciding whether to run more: Watford, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Nottingham, Fox Court (North London appeals), and Anchorage House (London). Saturday sittings were also run in Liverpool during September, October and November 2011.

Young Offenders: Electronic Tagging

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to encourage courts to ensure juvenile offenders subject to curfew are also tagged electronically.

Crispin Blunt: Any child or young person who comes before the court is subject to a rigorous assessment by the youth offending team which will include consideration of whether a curfew should be included in the sentence and whether this should be electronically monitored. For young children who are located in the family home it is not always considered necessary or appropriate to make a curfew subject to electronic monitoring. In these cases the child's parents would be expected to enforce the curfew reinforced by a police visit to confirm the child is at home.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have met members of the American Legislative Exchange Council to discuss voter registration since May 2010.

Mark Harper: Neither I nor the Deputy Prime Minister has met with members of the American Legislative Exchange Council to discuss voter registration since May 2010. Nor do we have any record of Cabinet Office officials meeting with the Council.

HEALTH

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Simon Burns: In the Department's London buildings, calorie labelling is provided at the point of purchase and displayed on weekly menus within the Department. Choice, value and wellbeing boards located at the restaurant entrances provide customer information including a weekly menu with calorie labelling.
	Eleven of our arm's length bodies (ALBs) do not use contracts for food and catering services. Four ALBs use services provided under contracts arranged by the Department of Health or the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the answer for these bodies is provided by the Departments' replies. The remaining five ALBs anticipate discussing the inclusion of cross government standards of best practice with their suppliers, where possible, when negotiating new contracts or earlier.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Simon Burns: In the Department, the weekly menus located on the Choice Card at each restaurant entrance highlight the country of origin for all meat based meals. This information is also provided on the daily menu at point of purchase.
	Eleven of the Department's arm's length bodies do not use contracts for food and catering services. Four arm's length bodies use services provided under contracts arranged by the Department or the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the answer for these bodies is provided by those Departments' replies. The remaining five arm's length bodies anticipate discussing the inclusion of cross government standards of best practice with their suppliers, where possible, when negotiating new contracts or earlier.

Departmental Visits Abroad

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what overseas visits (a) he and (b) each Minister in his Department has undertaken since 1 October 2011; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) date of each such visit was.

Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly in arrears on the Department’s website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of June 2011 can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759
	Data for periods July to September and October to December will be published in the new year.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 Session to date.

Simon Burns: As of 6 December 2011, the Department has received 6,126 questions for ordinary written answer in this parliamentary Session. Of those, 5,889 or 96% received a substantive answer within five sitting days. The following table shows the number and proportion of questions in the format requested.
	
		
			  Number Percentage 
			 Within 10 sitting days 6,111 99.7 
			 Within 20 sitting days 6,125 99.9 
			 Within 30 sitting days 6,126 100 
			 More than 30 sitting days 0 0 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the committee and are available on the Parliament website.

E. Coli

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to tackle outbreaks of E. coli 0157 which have taken place in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to prevent outbreaks of E. coli 0157;
	(3)  what action was taken by his Department to inform the general public of the outbreak of E. coli 0157 which took place in December 2010;
	(4)  what steps he was recommended to take by the Food Standards Agency following the outbreak of E. coli 0157 in December 2010; and what steps he took.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) leads on food safety matters.
	Between December 2010 and July 2011, the Health Protection Agency (HPA), Health Protection Scotland and Public Health Wales received reports of 250 cases of infection with a particular subtype of E. coli 0157 known as Phage Type 8 (PT8) distributed across England, Scotland and Wales.
	This was first reported in February 2011, when the HPA reported an outbreak of E. coli 0157 of undetermined cause in its weekly Health Protection Report, and in subsequent monthly references to case numbers and reports to the HPA Board in March and May this year, all published on the HPA's website. From 3 February 2011, the FSA worked as part of the Outbreak Control Team, chaired by the HPA, to undertake comprehensive investigations into the possible cause(s) of the outbreak. This involved preliminary interviews with every identified case and detailed interviews with a number of cases. Statistical analysis of information was applied.
	When those investigations revealed an association with handling raw vegetables, the FSA, in collaboration with the HPA, consumer groups and the food industry, alerted the general public to the outbreak of E. coli 0157 and its association with handling certain raw vegetables by publishing, in September, a reminder to consumers of the importance of washing all fruit and vegetables, including salad, before eating, unless labelled ready-to-eat, to ensure that they are clean.
	The advice also stated that it is important to wash hands thoroughly as well as clean chopping boards, knives and other utensils after preparing vegetables to prevent cross-contamination. This targeted campaign formed part of FSA's Foodborne Disease Strategy which aims to increase awareness and understanding of general good domestic food hygiene as a means of reducing all types of foodborne disease and as a precursor to achieving changes in behaviour and improvements in domestic hygiene standards.

E. Coli

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he was informed of the outbreak of E. coli 0157 which took place in December 2010;
	(2)  on what date the Health Protection Agency informed him that it had been notified of the outbreak of E. coli 0157 in December 2010;
	(3)  on what date the Food Standards Agency informed him that it had been notified of the outbreak of E. coli 0157 in December 2010.

Anne Milton: The Department was informed by the Health Protection Agency on 2 February 2011 that an outbreak control team was being called for 3 February to investigate increased numbers of cases of E. coli 0157 Phage Type 8 (PT8) reported across England, Wales and Scotland between December 2010 and July 2011, and the possibility that these could be due to a national foodborne outbreak.
	The Food Standards Agency notified on 25 July 2011 about the ongoing incident of E. coli 0157 and the actions they proposed for advising consumers.

E. Coli

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Health Protection Agency or the Food Standards Agency was designated by his Department as the lead agency in responding to the outbreak of E. coli 0157 in December 2010.

Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) formed an Outbreak Control Team (OCT) in February 2011 when an outbreak of vero cytotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) 0157 phage type (PT) 8 infection was declared based on 50 human cases reported between December 2010 and July 2011.
	The OCT was chaired by the HPA in accordance with the agreed procedures for management of outbreaks of foodborne illness. The remit of the OCT was to identify the cause and source of the infection. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is a member of the OCT.
	Once an analytical study showed infection was associated with the handling of loose leeks and potatoes, the FSA was designated as the lead in the investigation into any possible links to food or food premises being the potential source of the outbreak.

Food Standards Agency: Publicity

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of each public awareness campaign undertaken by the Food Standards Agency in the last 12 months.

Anne Milton: There have been three public awareness campaigns undertaken by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in the past 12 months. These have promoted awareness of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme; the food hygiene risks associated with vegetables; and good food hygiene practice at Christmas. The expenditure on each campaign over the past 12 months is shown in the following table together with a breakdown by United Kingdom country. The E. coli and vegetables and Christmas campaigns are not yet complete so the final amounts may exceed the figures shown. The funding of the FSA in the devolved countries is provided by the Welsh Government, Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Assembly.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme  
			 Wales 180,000 
			 Northern Ireland 179,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 359,000 
			   
			 E. coli and vegetables  
			 Wales 80,000 
			 Northern Ireland 12,000 
			 Scotland 167,000 
			 Total 259,000 
			   
			 Christmas  
			 England 48,000 
			 Total 48,000

Food: Radiation Exposure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional assessment for radioactive contamination the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has carried out on foodstuffs imported from Japan since the incident at the Fukishima nuclear plant in March 2011; what additional costs have been incurred by the FSA in conducting such tests; and from which budget any such costs have been paid.

Anne Milton: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 961/2011 imposes special conditions governing the import of feed and food originating in or consigned from Japan following the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power station. This regulation requires the analysis for radioactive iodine and radioactive caesium from 10% of consignments from Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Miyagi, Yamanashi, Nagano, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures. In addition, 20% of consignments from all other Prefectures are also required to be analysed for these radionuclides. The tests are carried out on behalf of the Port Health Authorities and the costs are charged to the importers, so the Food Standards Agency has not had to pay out for these additional analyses.

Gangs

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department plans to spend on work relating to the recent cross-Government report on ending gang and youth violence.

Anne Milton: The Department has not yet confirmed its central budgets for 2012-13, which are in the process of being set through the Department's normal business planning processes. A number of different programmes that the Department currently funds, such as Family Nurse Partnerships and Youth Justice Liaison and Diversion, may make a long-term contribution to ending gang and youth violence.

Medical Records: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Government on proposals for the use of Welsh resident patient data held by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for research purposes, including Welsh residents who have received treatment outside Wales;
	(2)  pursuant to his contribution of 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 31, on life sciences, which datasets of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency are held on an (a) UK and (b) England-only basis.

Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been running the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), that is owned by the Secretary of State for Health, since 1999. The GPRD has arrangements with general practices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland so that it is a generalisable sample dataset for each nation as well as the United Kingdom as a whole. GPRD is also linked to other national health service datasets such as Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Cancer and Myocardial Infarction Registries. However, for operational reasons the current linkage is only undertaken for general practitioner practices within England.
	The recently announced MHRA service, Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), is a partnership with the National Institute for Health Research and has been established to run a similar English service to the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage research service in Wales and that in Scotland (Scottish Health Informatics Programme), that are both already operating. However, there are research needs that require access to data across the four nations and additionally other services that need particular strengths of research groups in various parts of the UK; so co-operation will be required.
	No discussions have taken place between Ministers but discussions have been ongoing with those involved in both the Welsh and the Scottish research systems, since the start of the precursor to CPRD, which is the Research Capability Programme. These discussions have now stepped up to ensure that what is the largest system, by virtue of population size of England, takes a lead in fostering a dynamic synergistic relationship to the benefit of all patients, the NHS as a whole and research teams wherever they are located. Ministers have been apprised of developments during these discussions.
	Subject to agreements between the relevant groups it is expected that data access and data linkage for specific research purposes will be enabled across the UK provided all governance approvals are agreed and in place.

NHS: Disclosure of Information

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to prevent public money being spent on (a) legal fees incurred in the pursuit of whistleblowers in the NHS and (b) independent reviews from companies such as Verita on such issues.

Anne Milton: People who raise concerns in the public interest are subject to certain protections under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.
	National health service trusts are independent employers and organisations in their own right and operate in accordance with their local disciplinary and grievance procedures and employment legislation.
	The need for independent review on such issues would be considered on a case by case basis.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he took to maintain the Health in Pregnancy and Sure Start Maternity Grant.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department of Work and Pensions.
	In the June 2010 Budget, the Government announced a range of measures including limiting the Social Fund Sure Start Maternity Grant scheme to the first child and the abolition of the Health in Pregnancy Grant. These were part of the Government's deficit reduction plan.
	Sure Start maternity grants are available to families in receipt of income support, income-related employment and support allowance, income-based jobseeker's allowance, pension credit, child tax credit at a rate above the family element, or working tax credit that also includes a disability or severe disability element. This broad eligibility ensures that the grant is as widely available as possible among families with lower incomes both in and out of work.
	Restricting payment in this way ensures that the limited resources available support families when they need it most.

Prescription Drugs

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will assess the merits of requiring the manufacturing of blister packs of prescriptions in quantities of seven tablets rather than 10 in order to eliminate the need to cut blister strips to fill prescriptions and enable medicines to be dispensed in their original packaging;
	(2)  if he will take steps against medicines distributors who do not comply with his Department’s requirements on the information which must appear on the outer and inner packaging of medicines when blister packs of medicines are split;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the practice of cutting blister packs of medicines into strips due to a disparity between amounts of medicines prescribed and packaging quantities on (a) long-term and (b) other patients.

Simon Burns: The requirements for medicines labelling are set out in European and national legislation. Blister strips are intended to be enclosed within outer packaging which is fully labelled with detailed information on the safe and effective use of the product. Each blister strip must be labelled with the name of the product, the expiry date, batch number and the name and address of the marketing authorisation holder. Legislation does not specify the quantities of tablets to be contained in particular types of packaging.
	The Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations etc.) Regulations 1994 require the Marketing Authorisation holder to meet the requirement of European law on leaflets and labelling and makes it an offence for all those in the supply chain including wholesalers, dispensing doctors and pharmacists to supply medicines that fail to meet those requirements.
	A high proportion of national health service medicines in England are already prescribed in complete pack quantities. However, the prescriber has clinical discretion over the exact quantity of a medicine that is prescribed, according to patient need. Sometimes the quantity will not be available exactly in the pack size. In this situation, the pharmacist is required legally to dispense the quantity prescribed and will need to break a pack to do so. An assessment has not been made of the effect of cutting blister packs on long-term and other patients.

Social Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent meetings Ministers in his Department have had with representatives of the Care and Support Alliance; whether he plans to bring forward proposals to reform the care system; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Care and Support Alliance have been involved throughout the engagement exercise, having met with officials and engagement leads to discuss their priorities for the reform of adult social care. Numerous events and meetings have also taken place with the constituent groups of the Care and Support Alliance, and a number of their members were chosen specifically to participate in “Caring for our future” as either co-leads or reference group members.
	Ministers have attended a number of these events and have met with many representatives of the Care and Support Alliance since “Caring for our future” was launched on 15 September 2011.
	The feedback received from the engagement will now be considered alongside the recommendations from the Commission on Funding of Care and Support and the Law Commission. The Government are committed to publishing a White Paper, and a progress report on funding, in spring 2012, and to legislating at the earliest possible opportunity.

Social Services: Registration

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that social workers registering or renewing their membership of the General Social Care Council before July 2012 will not pay duplicate full-year registration fees for its successor body the Health Professionals Council when it comes into being.

Paul Burstow: Subject to legislation, on 31 July 2012 the regulatory functions of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) will transfer to the Health Professions Council (HPC)—to be renamed the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)—which is an independent regulatory body.
	For the past 10 years, social worker regulation has been heavily subsidised by the Government, thereby ensuring that the fee remained at £30 year on year. In the current economic climate it is no longer fair to ask the taxpayer to subsidise social workers in this way.
	Having considered a number of options, the GSCC has decided to collect its fees as normal up until its closure. It is therefore possible that a social worker will be required to pay fees both to the GSCC and to the HCPC in 2012. However, once the register transfer to the HCPC, registrants will be offered a period of up to four months to renew their registration and will be given the choice of paying the registration fee in four instalments across the two-year period.
	Departmental officials are working with the HPC and the GSCC to ensure that the processes for registrant fees are straightforward and clear and that registrants have the information to make decisions appropriate to their circumstances in the months approaching the transfer of regulatory functions.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Armed Forces

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers have been given to local authorities to provide affordable housing to serving or former service personnel since May 2010.

Grant Shapps: holding answer 8 December 2011
	Local authorities already have statutory powers enabling them to provide social housing to serving or former service personnel, and to offer such households greater priority in their allocation schemes.
	We are determined that members of the armed forces and ex-service personnel should get the housing they deserve, and we are consequently taking the following measures:
	giving service personnel top priority for Government-funded home ownership schemes, including the new FirstBuy scheme, and prioritising military personnel and their families for up to a year after active service ends;
	providing tailored support through housing experts visiting military bases across the country to explain to service personnel how they can apply for one of the many new homes that will be built in the next few years;
	consulting shortly on plans to change the law so that former personnel with urgent housing needs are always given high priority on waiting lists and so that personnel who move from base to base do not lose their qualification rights;
	consulting on proposals to give local authorities greater freedom to dispose of vacant council homes at right to buy discounts to local people which could include existing or former military personnel;
	providing support for wounded service personnel through increased funding for home adaptations, so that personnel returning from active service with serious injuries can live independently with dignity and respect;
	working with homelessness and veteran experts to help ex-service personnel who find the transition back to civilian life difficult;
	providing £1.5 million (two-year funding) to help Rushmoor borough council and other councils support the integration of retired Gurkhas, who, having served in the British Army, now wish to settle in the UK.

Affordable Housing: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the receipts from the sale of local authority-owned homes will go to local authorities for the construction of new social housing.

Grant Shapps: Local authorities currently retain all the receipts from the voluntary sale of local authority-owned homes, and 25% of the receipt from right to buy (or similar) sales. These receipts may be used to fund the building of new social housing, but that is a decision for each authority.
	My Department intends to consult shortly on how, in future, right to buy receipts can be used to fund replacement social housing at affordable rents on a one-to-one basis either through registered housing associations or local authorities.

Council Tax Benefits

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on council tax collection rates of (a) the localisation of council tax benefit and (b) the planned 10 per cent. reduction in its funding; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 24 November 2011
	An impact assessment on our broad plans for localisation of council tax will be published in due course. Under localisation, local authorities will have the flexibility to design local schemes taking into account local circumstances, including collection rates.

Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procedures his Department has put in place to ensure value for money on purchases; and what savings have been identified using those procedures in the last year.

Bob Neill: In line with Government commitments to reduce public sector expenditure my Department has undertaken a comprehensive review of spend to identify savings and cost efficiencies.
	Following Cabinet Office guidance the Department has placed an immediate freeze on consulting expenditure, unless it is of operational necessity and the work cannot be undertaken by civil servants.
	Procedures have been introduced whereby the Minister and Permanent Secretary review all consultancy contracts of £20,000 or more on a three monthly basis and ensuring that any proposals to extend contracts longer than nine months are jointly approved by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander).
	Mechanisms to manage demand have been put in place to manage and reduce expenditure through the Government Procurement Card. My Department has also published online all its spending on goods and services since 2008 over £500 online which has helped identify waste and inefficiency.
	Savings are borne out in Department accounts. Note 9 ‘other administrative costs' of the Department's Report and Accounts 2010-11 (page 129) reports that non-pay Gross Admin Costs for the Department reduced from £123 million in 2009-10 to £104 million in 2010-11, once early retirement costs of £64 million were taken into account. Figures in this report are prepared in accordance with HM Treasury's Financial Reporting Manual for central Government Departments and associated Treasury resource accounting and budgeting guidance.
	Additionally, the Department's Public Sector Public Procurement Expenditure Survey shows a 29% reduction in third party expenditure from 2009-10 to 2010-11.
	In particular the Department has made significant operational savings, by reducing demand and renegotiating commercial terms, £1.8 million in IT contracts and £2.4 million in temporary staffing and interim labour costs.
	The Department has achieved estimated net property running costs reductions of £9.8 million per annum since the start of the spending review period which includes £1.9 million in Estates requirements in the last financial year. In addition the Department has reduced its research expenditure by 36% (£10.8 million) in 2010-11.
	Ministers and officials review all budgets and business cases to evaluate value for money.

Risk Assessment

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what risk registers are held by the public bodies for which his Department is responsible; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: All public bodies for which my Department is responsible have and maintain risk registers including, for example; board-level registers, sub-committee level registers and registers for those bodies undergoing significant reform. A list of all registers held could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Bob Neill: Since May 2010, there have been no secondments into DCLG from either industry or the third sector.

Discretionary Payment Regulations

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many appeals pursuant to section 45 of the Local Government (Discretionary Payment) Regulations 1996 he and his predecessors have received in each of the last five years; how many times ministerial directions have been ignored or challenged by local authorities in each of those years; what steps he is able to take against local authorities who act against his decisions under those regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Section 45 provides a right of appeal to the Secretary of State where an employer has not determined if there has been an accident or injury arising from an individual's employment which has resulted in a loss of earnings. The amount of any award where there is a loss of earning is a discretion of the employer and is not a question on which an employee can appeal to the Secretary of State.
	Between March 2006 and November 2011 a total of 43 appeals have been received in the Department. No formal statistical return has been kept as there were too few cases to justify this, and the cost of determining how many were received in each of the last five years would be disproportionate. Since there is no recourse to the Secretary of State relating to the actual amount of any award, there is no record of any authorities refusing to implement their decisions. Should the employer fail to implement or award a sum in recognition, an individual has the right of appeal to the pensions ombudsman.

Fire Service College

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on consideration of the future of the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Bob Neill: In our response to the fire sector’s fire futures reports earlier this year, the Government said that the Fire Service College could achieve their full potential only if there was greater involvement from other sectors (whether private, public or voluntary) in its ownership, operation and governance and that we would
	“explore with the sector and other organisations options to secure the future of the Fire Service College.”
	We have taken that forward by conducting a pre-market engagement exercise throughout September and October to invite views of external partners and to assess the level of private sector interest in the college.
	The response to the pre-market engagement from both the public and private sectors has been very encouraging and a number of private sector companies have expressed an interest in managing the college. The fire sector has also responded positively to the pre-market engagement and their views will be a vital element in our considerations of the future option.
	We are now reviewing the responses and these will help inform the next phase of the project. We expect to be able to confirm the next steps, including a preferred future option, in the new year.

Fire Services

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which fire brigades have opted to use (a) trauma risk management and (b) applied suicide intervention skills training; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Construction

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with representatives of the house building industry on the introduction of a voluntary agreement to publish data about the (a) size and (b) quality of new homes; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: Details of DCLG Ministers meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyingovernment/ministerialdata/
	Officials at the Department for Communities and Local Government have been working closely with the National House Building Council to explore options for improving the availability of statistical information about new homes, including size and quality.

Housing: Merseyside

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress the Homes and Communities Agency's Local Stewardship Committee has made in Merseyside.

Greg Clark: Following consultation with bodies across the local area, the Homes and Communities Agency has established a Stewardship Steering Group which includes two local representatives: Carole Hudson, chief executive of St Helens metropolitan borough council and Jack Stopforth, chief executive of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the two local representatives, the Stewardship Steering Group comprises a private sector/local enterprise partnership representative and a senior local authority officer from each of the other four partnership areas in the local area.
	The steering group met for the first time on 10 November where members were briefed on the Economic Assets Programme and the nature of the assets and liabilities transferred from the North West Development Agency. The Home and Communities Agency's team has subsequently met individually with all local enterprise partnerships and local authority partners in the area to shape initial views on how to take the assets forward.
	The Stewardship Steering Group will meet again on 15 December where the Homes and Communities Agency will present its initial proposals for how the assets and liabilities will be managed and what options exist for further investment or for early disposal.
	These proposals will include the Homes and Communities Agency's plans for dealing with its major assets in the Liverpool city region which are predominantly in Liverpool and Wirral.

Housing: North-east England

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the level of home completions needed to meet demand for housing in the north-east over the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Stunell: The Department does not estimate housing need. However, the Department publishes household projections, which are a trend-based view of the number of households that would form given a projected population and previous demographic trends. Local authorities should use the projections as a part of the evidence base for assessing future housing demand.
	Household projections are based on the sub-national population projections published by the Office for National Statistics, the most recent of which are 2008-based. The 2008-based household projections show that the number of households in the north-east is projected to increase from 1,137,000 households in 2011 to 1,183,000 households in 2016.

Land Use: Databases

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the National Land Use Database; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land and Buildings provides an annual snapshot and inventory of the national stock of vacant and/or derelict land and buildings in England that may be available for development. It is the only countrywide source of information on previously used, or brownfield land and its data are classified as ‘Official Statistics’, published by the Office for National Statistics on its Neighbourhood Statistics website providing Parliament and the public with intelligence on land use.
	The Homes and Communities Agency took over the responsibility for the data in 2008 and in preparing the annual data works closely with local planning authorities in England collecting individual site data in a standardised form. Recent efforts in modernising and simplifying the database and data collection have seen an increase in both data quality and the number of users of the data. The agency is continuing to examine ways in which technology might help in continuing this trend with a particular emphasis on data collection and its transparency/interpretation.
	The Homes and Communities Agency expects to publish the figures for 2010 returns in the spring.

Local Government: Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to improve employees' confidence in the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Bob Neill: The Government's plans to reform public service pension schemes, including the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, are intended to put in place new, good quality arrangements that are affordable, sustainable and fair both to taxpayers and to each scheme’s members for the long-term. Developments taking place currently on several fronts within the scheme are intended to secure this important objective, including a statutory consultation exercise to secure fairly and progressively some £900 million savings in the scheme by 2014-15, and discussions with key business partners on longer term reforms, following Lord Hutton's recommendations to the Government earlier this year.

Local Government: Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an economic impact assessment has been carried out on the effect of the proposed changes to the local government pension scheme (a) nationally and (b) in Coventry South constituency.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Members for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) and Stoke-on-Trent Central (Tristram Hunt), on 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 23W.

Local Government: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will treat as a priority any application from Peterborough city council to join the Capital Asset Pathfinders scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: The Capital and Assets approach (area based asset management) was co-designed with 11 areas and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), launched the findings and methodology in August 2011, highlighting the potential for any area to save 20% from the asset base. These are available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/decentralisation/capitalassets/
	Support for the programme is now overseen by the Local Government Association and they can support any individual area that needs assistance to help formulate plans. However there is nothing stopping individual local areas from working with partners in the sharing of public assets.

Non-domestic Rates: Tax Allowances

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether businesses that will not be eligible for business rate discounts will be able to vote in ballots to determine which industries are eligible;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the use of ballots to determine which industries will be eligible for business rate discounts; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The use of the new power to grant business rate discounts will be entirely at the discretion of the relevant local authority. No ballots are required.

Planning Permission: Carbon Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how he proposes that the National Planning Policy Framework will deliver a low carbon transport infrastructure.

Greg Clark: The draft National Planning Policy Framework confirms the important role planning has in tackling climate change and making the transition to a low carbon economy. The draft Framework states that developments that generate significant movement should be located where the need to travel will be minimised and the use of sustainable transport modes can be maximised. It also states that planning strategies should protect and exploit opportunities for the use of sustainable transport modes for the movement of goods or people, and that developments should, where practical, incorporate facilities for charging plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles.
	The consultation on the draft Framework ended in October and we are considering all the suggestions that have been made as part of the consultation.

Public Expenditure: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated to Birmingham City Council in (a) ring-fenced and (b) non-ring fenced funding grants for each of the next three years.

Bob Neill: There is no full list of the Department's funding allocations to any local authority for any future year. The following table shows the revenue grants our Department is currently expecting to pay to Birmingham city council during 2012-13 as at 8 December 2011. Further grants may be announced in due course.
	All these grants are non-ring-fenced. It is not DCLG policy to make ring-fenced grants to local authorities.
	
		
			  £ million 
			 Formula Grant 646.520 
			 New Homes Bonus 7.416 
			 DCLG grants feeding into Local Services Support Grant Preventing Homelessness 1.250

Troubled Families Unit

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what progress he has made in establishing the Troubled Families Unit;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the budget for the Troubled Families Unit in each year of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of staff of his Department who will work on the Troubled Families Taskforce in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15;
	(4)  what targets his Department has set to measure the performance of its Troubled Families Unit; and how his Department will monitor performance against such targets;
	(5)  what assessment his Department has made of the role of the Troubled Families Team in tackling social exclusion.

Bob Neill: A new Troubled Families Team was established on 1 November 2011, headed up by Louise Casey, to drive forward a programme of work to meet the Prime Minister's commitment to turn around the lives of 120,000 troubled families by the end of this Parliament. It will work across central Government and with local government and other local agencies to provide the leadership and ambition needed to get to grips with the problem of troubled families. The work will include simplifying delivery arrangements and ensuring co-ordination between programmes established for different purposes, such as getting people back to work, children into school, and addressing poor behaviour.
	The team is currently developing its work programme that will establish the resources needed to tackle this important agenda. The approach to performance monitoring is being considered as part of this process and staffing levels for the team are yet to be finalised as they will be determined by the requirements of the work programme. Although the work programme is at an early stage of development, it is envisaged that turning around the lives of troubled families will have a significant impact on tackling the social exclusion of these families. More details will be given to the House on this work programme in due course.

Wildlife: Planning

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to provide specific protection for (a) local wildlife sites and (b) nature improvement areas in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: The Natural Environment White Paper sets out the steps the Government are taking to protect and improve the natural environment including through establishing nature improvement areas. In the consultation draft of the National Planning Policy Framework we set out planning's important contribution to safeguarding our natural environment and providing net gains in biodiversity where possible. We are carefully considering all of the responses to the consultation before finalising the framework.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Location

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what progress he has made on identifying alternative sites for the relocation of civil service jobs from Greater London; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to develop a further programme of civil service employment relocation in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: Our property strategy is driven by cost and we expect continued cost pressures to less of the civil service to be based in very expensive central London real estate.
	The current spending controls on Government property are reducing the cost and size of the estate, and in the first year of this initiative, over 500,000 square metres of property was surrendered. As the estate reduces in size, retained buildings will be utilised more intensively wherever possible.
	The Government have begun work on central London and Bristol pilots to rationalise the civil estate in these cities and will apply the lessons learned from these to develop strategies for other metropolitan areas.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards;
	(2)  what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Francis Maude: Pre-packed food items and beverages are labelled with nutritional information provided by the manufacturer. The calorific content of the food that is produced on the Cabinet Office estate is not labelled on menus or display boards. There are no plans to introduce this at present.
	The Cabinet Office adheres to the Government's guidelines for sourcing food locally where possible while providing value for money. Currently we do not display the country of origin on our food menus. However, information on country of origin is available to all customers on request.

Departmental Pay

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) salary and (b) other costs associated with (i) the post of Cabinet Secretary, Head of Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office, (ii) the post of Permanent Secretary, 10 Downing street and (iii) each other permanent secretary post in his Department (A) were in 2010-11 and (B) are expected to be between April and December 2011; what the equivalent figures for the posts of (1) Head of the Civil Service, (2) Cabinet Secretary, (3) Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office and (4) each other official in the Cabinet Office holding Permanent Secretary rank are expected to be (x) between January and March 2012 and (y) in 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: As part of the commitment to making Government more transparent and accountable, Departments are required to publish structure charts every six months showing the names, job roles and pay details for their senior staff, including Permanent Secretaries. These structure charts include information on individuals salaries, set within £5,000 bands. Departmental structure charts can be found at:
	http://data.gov.uk/organogram

Government Departments: Sustainable Development

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress he has made in holding Government Departments to account for their commitment to sustainable development through the quarterly business plan review process.

Oliver Letwin: I am responding due to my role in the Business Plan process. We have recently completed the second round of quarterly review meetings, making headway on reviewing departmental progress against the published plans. The full outcome of this work will be reflected in the annual refresh of business plans to be published in April.

National Citizen Service

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Office and (c) senior officials met the Prince's Trust to discuss its withdrawal from the National Citizen Service; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Details of ministerial meetings with external representatives are published on a quarterly basis on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-external-organisations
	Ministers and senior officials meet with sector representatives on a regular basis on a range of relevant issues.

Public Sector: Industrial Disputes

Guto Bebb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether trade union representatives have requested the Government to postpone deductions in pay from public sector workers who went on strike on 30 November.

Francis Maude: No such request regarding the postponement of deductions from striking workers' pay has been received from the civil service trade unions. Were such a request to be made by the civil service trade unions, Government would consider it inappropriate to pay people for work that they have not done at this or any other time of year.

Voluntary Organisations

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Ministerial Group on the Big Society has considered the compact on working with the voluntary sector; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: The renewed compact has not been a formal discussion item at any meetings of the ministerial group on big society. However, Departments are aware of their commitments towards the compact and, from 2012-13, it is intended that Government Departments will include a statement on how the compact is being implemented in their business plans.
	The NAO will shortly publish a report on how central Government Departments have implemented the principles set out in the renewed compact.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Cluster Munitions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make it his policy to prohibit any company that produces cluster munitions and or components for cluster munitions from attending UK trade events or receiving Government contracts for demilitarisation; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: Under the Export Control Order 2008 it is prohibited for any person in the UK to do any act calculated to promote the supply or delivery of cluster munitions from one third country to another unless authorised to do so by a licence granted by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable). A licence would be granted only where the activity was permitted by the convention on cluster munitions, for example to enable destruction of the munitions. However, provided companies which produce cluster munitions do not engage in such promotional activities in the UK the Government have no plans to prohibit such companies from attending UK trade events. The major UK defence exhibitions are commercial events and the admission of companies is a matter for the commercial organisers.
	Under current plans, it is the Government's intention to destroy remaining stocks of UK cluster munitions by the end of 2013 under existing contracts. To date all Department for International Development funding for demining has been allocated to the UN and contracts let to non-governmental organisations. Funding is now committed to 2013.
	As a state party to the convention on cluster munitions, the UK has prohibited the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of cluster munitions. The UK is fully committed to the universalisation of the convention on cluster munitions and continues to use all appropriate opportunities to promote ratification or accession to the convention.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards.

Edward Davey: The central Department's catering is contracted out to BaxterStorey who plan to introduce calorie labelling at the end of January 2012.
	Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Edward Davey: The central Department's catering is contracted out to BaxterStorey who already include some key information (i.e. UK sourced—Union Jack added). BaxterStorey are committed to better information being displayed, subject to menus and display boards remaining clear and readable.
	Information for non departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Secondment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what secondments there have been to his Department from (a) industry and (b) the third sector since May 2010; what the (i) purpose and (ii) duration is of each secondment; and whether each secondment was to a policy development role.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr Wright) of 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 302W. I can also confirm that none of the secondments is from the third sector.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 Session to date.

Edward Davey: The Department aims to answer ordinary written parliamentary questions (PQs) within five sitting days. Where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, the Department believes it will normally be preferable to provide an answer a few days late, rather than provide an incomplete answer.
	During the period 18 May 2010 to 30 November 2011, a total of 4,157 ordinary PQs were answered of which 3,992 (96%) received a substantive reply within 10 sitting days. Two questions, for this period, remain to be answered.
	In line with the format provided to the Procedure Committee in the last Session,(1) the Department's PQ data are recorded by (i) questions answered on time (ii) questions answered within 5-10 days and (iii) questions answered more than 10 days late. Data related to PQs answered 20; 30 days or more than 30 days late are not held centrally within BIS.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written PQ performance on a sessional basis and will provide the Committee with the information, using the same format as before, at the end of the Session.
	These figures have been drawn from the Department's database which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	(1) Procedure Committee—First Special Report 7 December 2009 [HC 129]

Education: Visual Impairment

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department provides for partially sighted and blind pupils in (a) further and (b) higher education.

David Willetts: Higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to support disabled students, including blind and partially sighted students, when applying to higher and further education and when studying. The law establishes a framework of responsibility which higher education institutions and further education colleges must comply with and also promotes an anticipatory and proactive approach to supporting disabled students. Institutions are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled students to ensure that they can fully participate in their education and enjoy the other benefits, facilities and services which are provided for students.
	The Government provide support to disabled students in higher education. We provide funding to HE institutions, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to help them recruit and support disabled students; £13 million will be provided in academic year 2011/12.
	The Government also provide direct support to disabled students through disabled students' allowances (DSAs). DSAs can help pay the extra costs a student may incur, because of a disability, when undertaking a course of higher education. DSAs are provided in addition to the standard student support package, are not income-assessed and do not have to be repaid.
	‘Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth’ (published November 2010) recognises the importance of access to further education and skills training for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. We have introduced a single adult skills budget from the 2011/12 academic year. This provides further education colleges and other training organisations with the flexibility to offer a range and balance of programmes and support in the mode of delivery that will best meet the needs of disabled students and students with learning difficulties. Funding for additional learning support is also provided to colleges and other training organisations to help support the additional needs of disadvantaged learners to enable them to participate fully in learning. The funding is intended to be flexible and support learners who have a range of learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

Empty Property: Kingston upon Hull

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department holds the (a) leasehold and (b) freehold of any (i) empty or (ii) partially empty property in Kingston upon Hull; and what plans he has to maximise the occupancy of any such properties.

Edward Davey: The Department does not have any leasehold or freehold property in Kingston-upon-Hull.

English for Speakers of other Languages

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 59-60WS, on English for speakers of other languages, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on developing new forms of funding support for English for speakers of other languages courses.

John Hayes: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government are discussing how best to support the provision of English language to assist those areas facing the most significant integration challenges and an announcement will be made shortly.

Higher Education: Admissions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what impact assessment he has carried out in respect of the effect on the social diversity of the student body at English universities of the implementation of the core and margin model.

David Willetts: The Department published an impact assessment and equality impact assessment on the proposals in the Higher Education White Paper in June 2011, can be found at the following link.
	http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/hereform/all-documents/
	Overall, our equality impact assessment concluded that we anticipated that the ‘core and margin' proposals would not have an adverse affect on protected or disadvantaged groups. The impact assessment recognised that certain protected groups were over-represented in the non-AAB population. We concluded that the fair access framework we have introduced would help ensure a fair balance of places are offered to eligible students from less privileged backgrounds and under-represented backgrounds in institutions.
	We have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to monitor the impact of these changes in terms of equality issues and to offer advice as soon as is practicable.

Higher Education: Office of the Independent Adjudicator

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what systems are in place to monitor the work of the office of the adjudicator for higher education; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) is the designated operator of the student complaints scheme for higher education students in England and Wales. The OIA provides a valuable, independent service of last resort for students who have exhausted their institution's complaints procedures.
	It is for the OIA board to monitor the performance and effectiveness of the organisation, to approve the rules and procedures for the operation of the OIA scheme and to preserve the scheme's independence. The majority of the board are independent directors, appointed through open competition.
	The OIA publishes an annual report on its activities for the sector to review. The 2010 report was published on 14 June 2011:
	http://www.oiahe.org.uk/media/30013/oia_annual_report_2010.pdf
	BIS officials are in regular contact with the OIA and provide me with updates on their progress. I last met the OIA chair and chief executive on 6 September 2010.

Public Sector: Trade Unions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on public sector: trade union officials, if he will consider bringing forward proposals to amend the relevant provisions in the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 as part of the review of facility time.

Edward Davey: There are no current plans to change the legislative framework.
	The Government have said they will consult on several elements of civil service facility time agreements but none of these rely on legislative change.

Regional Growth Fund

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons his Department decided to hold two bidding rounds for the Regional Growth Fund in 2011.

Mark Prisk: Two bidding rounds were held in 2011. The first closed in January, the second in July. The aim of the Regional Growth Fund is to create sustainable private sector jobs in areas of the country disproportionally dependant on the public sector. Two bidding rounds were held to create jobs at the earliest opportunity by companies and other organisations submitting applications to the first round while giving other companies and organisations the opportunity to develop bids over a slightly longer time scale by submitting applications to the second round of bidding.

Students: Fees and Charges

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made on the effects of the core and margin model on higher education institutions charging between £7,500 and £9,000 per year in tuition fees.

David Willetts: holding answer 8 December 2011
	The Higher Education (HE) White Paper ‘Students at the Heart of the System’, published in June, set out the proposal and aims to free up the current restrictive approach to allocating student places to higher education institutions. Alongside the HE White Paper, an impact assessment of the proposals was published on the BIS website which includes modelling of that policy. This impact assessment is available at:
	http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/hereform/all-documents/
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) consulted over the summer on the operation of teaching funding and student number controls in 2012/13, which included the freeing up of restrictions on the recruitment of new entrants. The outcomes from the consultation including responses, are available on the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/learning/funding/201213/
	HEFCE is committed to monitoring closely the impacts of the new policy and will offer formal advice as soon as is practicable.

Students: Finance

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the National Scholarship Programme funding he expects to be spent on (a) fee waivers, (b) subsidised accommodation, (c) cash bursaries and (d) free foundation years.

David Willetts: The National Scholarship Programme is designed to benefit students whose family income is no greater than £25,000. Participating universities and colleges establish their own eligibility criteria, based on their own circumstances, to determine whom to help from among this broad group of people.
	Universities and colleges offer help from a menu of options. These are a fee waiver or fee discount; a free foundation year; discounted accommodation or other institutional service; a financial scholarship or bursary, capped at £1,000.
	Higher Education Institutions and Further Education Colleges with access agreements have provided the Office for Fair Access with estimates of how much they expect to spend in each of these areas under the National Scholarship Programme in steady state (by 2015-16). No data are available yet for institutions without access agreements who have taken up the option of participating that is available to them.
	
		
			 Estimate £ million Percentage 
			 Fee waivers 161.3 55.1 
			 Subsidised accommodation 54.5 18.6 
			 Cash bursaries 50.2 17.2 
			 Free foundation years 2.3 0.8 
			 Student choice/institutional funds not yet allocated 24.2 8.3 
			 Total 292.5 100

Third Sector: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding over £100,000 his Department's Legal, People and Communications Directorate allocated to the (a) voluntary sector, (b) charities and (c) other third sector organisations in 2010-11; how much it plans to allocate to each in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Legal, People and Communications Group did not allocate any funding over £100,000 to the voluntary sector, charities or third sector organisations last year and has no plans to do so this year.

Third Sector: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding over £100,000 his Department's Shareholder Executive allocated to the (a) voluntary sector, (b) charities and (c) other third sector organisations in 2010-11; how much it plans to allocate to each in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Shareholder Executive does not allocate any funding to the voluntary sector, charities or third sector organisations. Its role is to ensure the Government get best value from their interests in a range of businesses and to provide commercial advice across Government for which it does not charge.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations have made written representations to his Department on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations in the last 12 months; and which such representations proposed changes to the regulations.

Edward Davey: A range of individuals and organisations submitted proposing changes to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) as part of the Red Tape Challenge spotlight on employment law. These can be viewed on the Red Tape Challenge website. In response to the “Plan for Growth” Balfour Beatty made a formal representation highlighting variations in the application of the Acquired Rights Directive (TUPE in the UK) across member states as an issue of concern.

Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the operation of Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations compared with the operation of similar regulations elsewhere in the EU.

Edward Davey: As part of the call for evidence on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) launched on 23 November 2011, I have asked for information on stakeholders' experiences with the implementation of such regulations across the EU. This evidence will be used to compare the operation of the regulations across European member states, should there be sufficient response.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what guidelines there are on the quality and quantity of food supplied to service personnel; what changes have been made to them since May 2010; and who is responsible for enforcing and monitoring them;
	(2)  what changes have been made to the suppliers of food to UK service personnel since May 2010.

Peter Luff: The Defence Fuel and Food Services Team are responsible for the issue of Ministry of Defence (MOD) food quality standards to ensure that products meet all the relevant criteria (legislation, nutrition, dietary, shelf-life, value for money, sustainability, surety of supply) required for operating in a number of unique global environments. These standards apply to all Defence food supply contracts and pre-date May 2010. They are regularly updated although no major changes have been made since May 2010.
	Guidance in respect of quantity of food supplied to service personnel is contained within The Defence Catering Manual and basic military training which provides personnel with a fundamental knowledge of nutrition, to optimise physical and mental function, long-term health and morale. The manual also directs, through Front Line Commands, responsibility for enforcement and monitoring of the standards which apply to military personnel.
	Although new contracts have been awarded since May 2010, the list of suppliers that provide catering services to the MOD has not changed.

Armed Forces: Food

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the projected expenditure is on food for service personnel based (a) in the UK and (b) overseas in each year between 2010 and 2015;
	(2)  how much was spent on food for service personnel based (a) overseas and (b) in the UK in each year since 2000.

Peter Luff: holding answer 12 December 2011
	Armed forces personnel in the UK and permanent bases overseas are primarily catered for through a number of catering, retail, leisure and other multi-activity contracts (incorporating pay as you dine arrangements) to deliver this and other services. Food is procured at the contractors' risk and the only payment they receive in respect of this, with some minor exceptions, is at the point of sale. The price of the core meal (covering breakfast, lunch and dinner) is capped by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body.
	For armed forces personnel not covered by these contractual arrangements and those serving on operations and overseas exercises, there is a single food supply contract for which expenditure is as follows:
	
		
			 Single food supply expenditure 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2001-02 113 
			 2002-03 114 
			 2003-04 139 
			 2004-05 128 
			 2005-06 139 
			 2006-07 135 
			 2007-08 145 
			 2008-09 176 
			 2009-10 165 
			 2010-11 199 
		
	
	These figures include the cost of food, administration and transport and the net additional cost of military operations which was met from the Treasury Reserve.
	The Ministry of Defence has also procured operational ration packs over the same period for which expenditure is as follows:
	
		
			 Operational ration pack expenditure 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2001-02 14.6 
			 2002-03 16.6 
			 2003-04 26.7 
			 2004-05 23.7 
			 2005-06 15.6 
			 2006-07 15.3 
			 2007-08 18.1 
			 2008-09 25.4 
			 2009-10 23.3 
			 2010-11 36.4 
		
	
	Financial records prior to financial year 2001-02 are no longer available.
	Forecast expenditure does not take account of military operations. The forecast cost for the single food supply contract and operational ration packs are contained in the following tables:
	
		
			 Single food supply forecast expenditure 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2011-12 59.6 
			 2012-13 55.6 
			 2013-14 53.0 
			 2014-15 47.7 
		
	
	
		
			 Operational ration pack forecast expenditure 
			 Financial year £ million 
			 2011-12 19.6 
			 2012-13 20.9 
			 2013-14 21.4 
			 2014-15 21.9

Food Labelling

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible plan to implement calorie labelling on menus and display boards;
	(2)  what steps the food and catering services in (a) his Department and (b) public bodies for which he is responsible are taking to ensure the country of origin of foods are labelled on its menus and display boards.

Peter Luff: In accordance with the Government Buying Standards, we fully support the overarching commitment that suppliers should be able to indicate the origin of the meat, meat products and dairy products either on the menu or accompanying literature, or at least when the information is requested by the consumer. The Government Buying Standards, while not mandating calorie labelling on menus, does cite this as best practice and therefore we encourage the practice wherever possible.
	Menus on display boards at Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites are designed to simply reflect the options available at each meal. This information will include any vegetarian options or where a dish may contain any potential allergens. Country of origin data and nutritional data are available from the food provider or the MOD's Defence Fuel and Food Services Team on request.

Consultants

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department plans to spend on management consultants in the current financial year.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 November 2011
	As at 31 October 2011, the Ministry of Defence's forecast spend on management consultancy during financial year (FY) 2011-12 will total £25.5 million. This has been calculated using the Government Procurement Service's definition of management consultancy. Total spend on management consultancy in FY 2010-11 was £26 million and in FY 2009-10, £79 million.

Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts awarded by his Department to management consultants (a) since publication of the Strategic Defence and Security Review and (b) in 2011-12 were awarded after competitive tendering; and how many competing providers there were for each contract awarded after competitive tendering.

Peter Luff: holding answer 23 November 2011
	The Ministry of Defence is at present conducting a review of its management consultancy contracts. I will therefore write to the hon. Member with further details once the review has been completed.

Parliamentary Written Questions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of questions for ordinary written answer received a substantive response within (a) 10, (b) 20, (c) 30 and (d) more than 30 sitting days in the 2010-12 session to date.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence received 3,698 ordinary written questions for answer between 1 June 2010 and 6 December 2011. The information requested is as follows:
	Answered within 10 sitting days: 3,303 (89%)
	Answered within 11 to 20 sitting days: 264 (7%)
	Answered within 21 to 30 sitting days: 53 (2%)
	Answered after more than 30 sitting days: 32 (1%).
	46 (1%) ordinary written questions were still to be answered as at 7 December 2011.
	The Government are committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Ex-servicemen

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times each Minister in his Department has met the Royal British Legion to discuss armed forces veterans since 11 May 2011.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 1 December 2011
	Defence Ministers regularly meet representatives of charities which raise money for, and represent the interests of, current and former members of our armed forces and their families, either on a one-to-one basis or as part of wider fora, such as the Central Advisory Committee on Pensions and Compensation or the Ministry of Defence’s Welfare conference.
	Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published on the Ministry of Defence website at the following address:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/Expenses/MinistersHospitalityReceived.htm
	The information currently published covers May 2010 to June 2011 and is being updated on a quarterly basis in accordance with the Government’s transparency programme.
	I regularly meet representatives of the Royal British Legion. I met their director-general as recently as last month, on Remembrance Sunday.

GPT

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates officials of Ministers of his Department have met representatives of GPT to discuss allegations of bribery by that company.

Peter Luff: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Officials in the Ministry of Defence meet regularly with representatives of GPT Special Project Management Ltd to discuss project progress and technical and commercial matters. On a number of occasions officials have met representatives of GPT and/or its parent company, European Aerospace and Defence Systems (EADS)/Astrium, when the allegations were discussed. The dates of such meetings, all in 2011, were:
	28 January;
	1 and 8 February;
	7, 10 and 28 March;
	11 April;
	6 and 17 June;
	22 September;
	10, 11, 14 and 25 October; and
	18 November.

Harrier Aircraft

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the Harrier fleet is due to be transferred to the US; and on what date he plans to reconstitute sea-deployable fixed-wing air power at short notice.

Peter Luff: The transfer of the Harrier fleet for use as spare parts to the USA has commenced with the arrival of 40 United States Marine Corps containers at RAF Cottesmore. The Harrier team are now loading the containers for removal and all Harrier assets are to be removed from UK collection points by 31 March 2012.
	As announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we plan to regenerate a carrier strike capability from around 2020, based upon an operational Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier fitted with catapults and arrestor gear and the F35C Joint Strike Fighter, and are currently investigating the optimum solution to meet that requirement, including the delivery timescales.

HMS Astute

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans that HMS Astute will be fully operational.

Peter Luff: HMS Astute is currently undertaking a period of comprehensive sea trials and training before being handed over to the Royal Navy for operational service, which on current plans will be in early 2013. HMS Astute will then conduct a period of operational sea training for approximately six weeks, after which it is planned that the ship will be declared fully operational.

Littoral Warfare

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the availability is of UK amphibious forces for long-range deployment; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: holding answer 12 December 2011
	We do not disclose specific readiness levels of our units but by implementing the proposals set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, three Commando Brigade Royal Marines, with the Royal Navy’s amphibious shipping, will continue to provide strategic reach. This will provide an agile and capable amphibious landing force of up to 1,800 personnel together with protective vehicles and other equipment.

Navy: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many naval personnel he plans will be trained using the Maritime Composite Training System in each of the next five years

Peter Luff: It is expected that the Maritime Composite Training System will be used by approximately 1,000 students per year in each of the next five years.

Nimrod Aircraft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to publish the costs associated with the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4A aircraft.

Peter Luff: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal from service of the Sea King Search and Rescue helicopters on the ability to maintain combat search and rescue operational skills.

Peter Luff: As the Sea King retires after 47 years of service the Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) role is expected to be met by Merlin or Chinook helicopters.
	A Ministry of Defence study dated June 2010 found that the existing operational training undertaken by the support helicopter force is sufficient to ensure that fully trained personnel will continue to be available for deployment in the CSAR role.

Rescue Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the (a) Maritime Coastguard Agency and (b) Secretary of State for Transport on the provision of night vision goggles to civilian search and rescue helicopter crews from 2016.

Peter Luff: The competition for the future UK Search and Rescue Helicopter service announced on 28 November 2011, Official Report, columns 52-53WS, by the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), will require industry to provide a capability, both aircraft and aircrew, that meets the requirement to operate aircraft safely at low level at night and in low light conditions in both the maritime and overland environments. It is likely that the contractor will need to provide night vision aids, e.g. goggles, to meet this requirement, but it is for them to develop appropriate solutions. These requirements have been developed through detailed work by officials from the Ministry of Defence, Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It has not been necessary for the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), to be involved in these discussions.

Somalia: Piracy

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to promote greater international military co-operation on pre-emptive action to prevent piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Nick Harvey: The UK continues to promote international co-operation to tackle piracy; both at its root through provision of humanitarian and development assistance and through a direct contribution to a number of military operations. In addition, the Prime Minister has recently announced a conference on Somalia to be held in London in early 2012, reaffirming UK commitment to the global effort in stabilising Somalia which includes countering piracy. The conference will form the basis for co-ordinated and sustained international leadership on Somalia and will support a broader, more inclusive political process to bring security and stability to the country.

Salvage Licences

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what wrecks of Crown owned vessels and aircraft have been sold for salvage.

Peter Luff: Records of salvage licences dating back to 1914 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Readily available files show that no salvage rights licences for military vessels have been granted since at least 2005.
	The Ministry of Defence does not grant salvage licences in cases where military shipwrecks are considered to be the last resting place of personnel, and for all wrecks of military aircraft. However, historic licences will have been granted in accordance with the prevailing practice of the time.